Devil in Sheep's Clothing
by Wermo
Summary: Kyle has told Amanda the truth. When Amanda attempts something innocent, shadows cause bigger trouble. Will the sheep become a devil? Rated T for language and some warm moments. AU: Kyle & Jessi are clones. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction piece based on the TV series Kyle XY. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, producers or anyone else holding any sort of rights to this or any other media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

A blond teenager entered the confessional across from him, only barely interrupting his meditation. He recognized her by her voice but pretended not to, because she'd been crying. A lump threatened to form at his throat when he thought of the many things this particular girl had gone through. The loss of her father, the betrayal of a previous boyfriend, a family financial crisis; the list went on.

"Father, I am torn." Fresh tears fell, but she continued resolutely. "The greatest love of my life – my boyfriend – is a c…" A great sob is wrenched from her before she can finish the sentence. "… a clone."

The pastor had heard myriad things in his long life, even confessions to the greatest of sins, the seven cardinal sins, but never had he heard anything so outlandish in his life. He supposed it was bound to happen in the next 50 years, but not in his lap, so to speak. As the poor girl fought with her emotions, he thought long and hard about the situation. He'd heard her speak of him and had even met the boy. It was over two dozen seconds before he spoke. "Child, do you love him?" He saw her nod, as sobs continued unabated. He suppressed a sigh as best he could. He whispered back, "And I trust he loves you as well." He paused a moment, "Please child, tell me how you learned of this."

Over one hundred minutes later, he had pieced together a sordid tale of scientific debauchery so terrible, he felt it had to be fiction. The problem was the teller of this fiction. She was a bright star in his congregation; she and her mother were quite involved in the parish. The fact that her telling of the tale had gone so deeply into detail was particularly unnerving.

He'd even met the young man once at her confirmation and he seemed kind and good natured. A devil in sheep's clothing, then? Perhaps, but he'd certainly taken his time corrupting this girl – indeed had yet to do so – despite having the strength and undoubtedly the abilities. It was shocking he could levitate in the air, jump from the roof of a house only to land effortlessly, manipulate electrical currents in his immediate surroundings, and had incredible talents besides.

She had repeatedly stated her tale to be nothing but the truth, and that her boyfriend himself also preferred to only tell the truth. He decided to tackle this area first. "You've known Kyle for well over two years now, and he's known about his past for over a year and never once did he tell you any of these things?"

She had recovered somewhat and only the occasional tear fell from her bright blue eyes. "His creators are not to be trusted. They kidnapped me on my prom night only to test his abilities. Although they'd never supposedly meant me any harm," she added with derision. "He told me it was his way of protecting me, but now that they've shown him their intentions, or at least a glimpse of them, he told me I had to know the truth."

It was common practice to look primarily ahead when in a confessional, but just then she turned toward him. She tried to ask her short question but her voice cracked. Several moments later, "Does he have a soul?" He had no answer.

Another hour passed. He would soon have to leave her to prepare for mass that evening, but he sensed some inspiration. Having questioned her about Kyle and his story, he felt he knew the young man better than many. He'd been extremely candid with the poor girl. It was absolutely clear to him that he meant well but there was so much danger in even being associated with him as well.

"Is this boy a living, breathing, and loving human being?" He knew the answer from their long discourse but wanted her to respond. "Do you think it possible he is hiding more from you, that he may not be telling you everything?"

At this she smirked. "How can I know if he's told everything? I can't know for sure, but I also know he loves me and has promised me to keep nothing from me."

"You believe him." More statement than question, meant primarily to facilitate further elaboration.

Her voice was somber, her face lowered. "In my heart, I do. I still do. He is the kindest, most trustworthy and selfless person I have ever met."

He sighed audibly. "You are right to have grieved so much over this issue, over the lies, the half-truths. But he certainly seems kind and gentle and worthy of love. He seems human to me; maybe too human." He caught her rapid glance toward him. He had raised his hand specifically to halt any budding questions. "He was probably misguided in keeping those secrets from you. Know this though: your life with him will be fraught with nothing but peril and anguish should the secret come out before the world is ready to hear it. I refuse to judge a man, and an extraordinary man he appears to be. But let me ask you this, and think hard about your answer. Sleep on it, meditate upon it, pray about it. Where will the truth end, and where will the lies have to begin to keep him a secret? Are you prepared to willfully break Holy Commandments and lie to your mother or your extended family about him?" She nodded, saying not a word, knowing he likely had a little more to give. She certainly listened to his sermons, as he often had a very tough spiritual issue presented before offering an enlightening parting thought. Life was not all fire and brimstone. "Although quite likely against the official policy the Church will take as a whole, if you are committed to doing what is best for the world, not only yourselves, then you have my personal blessing on the matter." Her eyes turned directly to his. "Let your heart guide you my child."


	2. Chapter 2

Without looking at the house next door, she hurried to the front door. As she reached for the handle, the door opened, revealing her mother.

"Amanda," she started to say but fell silent. Concern etched itself around her eyes. "Come inside dear."

When the door was closed behind them, her mother gave her a big hug. No tears came but that didn't surprise her. She enjoyed the embrace, the now rare display of comfort from her mother, ever since her dad had died.

She slowly pulled out of the embrace and looked into her mother's eyes. With a small grim smile, she muttered, "I look that bad huh?"

"Your eyes are swollen, your nose is a little raw, you have tear streaks all over your face..." Her mother trailed off and had a distant look in her eyes.

"Dinner's ready?" She removed her shoes and put them on the welcome mat. She started toward the kitchen and stopped when she noticed her mother had not moved. "Mom?"

"You've only looked like that once in your life..." Her eyes clouded but she didn't elaborate. "Dinner's been ready for an hour and I've eaten. I can heat up whatever you want."

Amanda knew exactly the moment her mother was referring to. All other trials she'd faced paled in comparison. The day her father died she'd been unable to eat and cried herself to sleep. And woke up with a horrible headache! She still missed him, missed his art, but mostly missed his presence in the family. When he'd been alive her mom had been too. To think they went sky diving during their honeymoon! Although she tried to supress it, the ends of her mouth creep upward at the thought, but her mother caught it. She knew better than to mention her dad to her mom; it never ended well when she did.

She turned and went to the kitchen.

Thankfully her mother didn't pursue an explanation. When she finished eating, Amanda realized that her mother was remembering her husband because she was simply sitting in her sofa with a glass of red wine. At least it wasn't the bottle.

Dutifully she cleared the table and washed the dishes. She cleaned herself up, washed her face and got ready for bed. It was still quite early but she felt drained. Her gaze fell on an old friend. She knew what to do and it would help everyone.

She sat on the bench and started to play. At first she played a dark, heavy melody and followed it with a quiet, mellow piece. She then played a few challenging fast paced numbers, and although she made one minor mistake, she felt good about it nonetheless. She peeked at her mother from the corner of her eye and found her smiling, the glass was still half full. It was pretty clear from her eyes that the wallowing was over for tonight.

A curious thought came to her. It brought a smile to her lips. Surely she still remembered how to play her first piece? Closing her eyes and resting her fingers lightly on the smooth keys, she played Chopsticks.

Her mother groaned, then laughed. It made her laugh too.

She played for over two hours, playing all the oldest pieces from her youth. She was surprised she didn't remember a couple of them. But with her mom's help, she played them anyway.

They went upstairs to their respective bedrooms. Just as she was about to close her door, her mother called her. "Here, you might want your phone." After a brief pause, she said, "I called it when dinner was almost ready. If ever you need to talk about it, you can. But I won't force you." Her eyes clouded for the briefest moment. "You look better now though." They both retired to their rooms.

She lay in her bed, eyes wide open after half an hour had passed. She remembered the pastor's advice, "Where will the lies begin to keep his secret safe?" She wasn't new to secrets; what teenager has never kept secrets from their parents, from their friends, even from those they love? They're not necessarily secrets like Kyle's of course. His were so much more.

She'd avoided thinking of him till just now. Now that she had, a flood of secrets threatened to spill over the dam she'd built. Who was she kidding? It was practically a tsunami of secrets! She couldn't hide from them, ignore them. She either had to live with them or separate herself from him.

That mere thought hurt her heart. She realized she was 'just a teenager' and that relationships formed during high school were quite unlikely to continue through one's entire life, particularly romantic ones.

Kyle was not 'just a teenager' either. In some ways she figured he was still a child. He wanted to please everyone, help everyone. She could see why Latnok had abducted her on her prom night. He would have done anything to save her. In fact he had; he had jumped in front of a plastic bullet all in the name of science. She smiled grimly and muttered to herself, "Don't they know he would do the same for his family, for his family's friends? Despite the initial animosity from her mother toward him, didn't they know he would risk everything to save her too?

He was young at heart -- she smiled when she remembered telling him exactly thus months ago. He'd taken the expression literally, had reflected inwardly for a moment then nodded. She now realized he'd probably checked it physically and when he didn't discover anything wrong he'd nodded his satisfaction.

It dawned on her. She swallowed, hard.

He couldn't remain this way forever. If he did he would eventually fall prey to Latnok regardless of his abilities. They would continue to push him or lead him down a set path. They would eventually realize his weakness and when they tired of him they would let him kill himself for a hopeless situation.

It didn't escape her notice that Kyle was constantly learning, changing, evolving. Was it possible that he would eventually find her dull, dimwitted, or worse, predictable?

He already knew so much about her but there was no sign that he could tire of her. She smiled even as her heart ached. She knew that although Kyle had no romantic interests in Jessi, Latnok may certainly force their coupling in the future, perhaps with her life as a reward. He'd do it; any child conceived could be withdrawn and grown in one of their pods... Goose bumps formed all along her arms and legs. They didn't need to have them conceive a child. All they had to do would be extract the necessary -- ingredients -- from both of them.

She swallowed again. Her stomach roiled as her thoughts took another 90 degree turn.

They'd captured him before and had abducted her on prom night. Could their 'ingredients' -- she couldn't say the proper term to herself -- already have been merged and put into a pod? Were there an untold number of Kyle offspring in hidden pods around the world?

Her heart was beating rapidly and she was surprised to be sweating profusely.

It was a path she wouldn't follow. Even if it meant he left her, she knew within her heart there was only one thing to be done.

She had to corrupt him.

It was then she noticed a shadow across her blinds. The moonlight was blocked by a human's silhouette, Kyle's. It didn't matter that she was on the second floor. She smiled as she got up and opened the blinds. She couldn't open the window; she didn't want her mother to wake up. She smiled even more broadly when she saw his concern and his cell phone in his hand. He mouthed, "Text me." When she understood, he lowered out of sight.

When she got to her cell phone she saw several texts from Kyle. The latest one was a simple "R U OK?" She sighed, smiled, and got comfortable on her bed.

"I'm OK," she typed, "Thoughts on rampage."

"A lot to take in." Of course, he would figure out what her swirling thoughts were about. Before she could reply he added another text. "Beautiful music tonight."

She knew he loved her and would do anything for her. Even leave. It made her both happy and sad. They texted for an hour before sleep came to her.

***

Kyle knew the moment she'd fallen asleep. He was happy to hear her whisper, "I love you Kyle," even though she hadn't texted it. He recalled the journals he'd read about various religions, and had read variations of the main holy books on which they were based. For more than a year, he had known there was a probability that her faith would have been at odds with him. There had even been outrage around the world about Dolly the first cloned sheep. It was one of many reasons he had kept the truth from her for so long, despite her feelings, and despite his.

As he lay in his tub, he reflected again on her reaction when he had started to tell her the truth. Remembering the entire conversation, once more he noted that one word had changed her demeanor. Clone. Had he left it out, let her connect the dots so to speak -- smiling to himself on an expression he'd finally mastered -- would likely been a much larger error. It was highly likely to have been construed a betrayal.

His ears picked up the beating of her heart and noticed it was going faster again. Her breathing quickened and he could hear the rustle of her sheets and he pictured her in a nightmare.

Nightmares he knew well. He experienced them much more often than he cared to. For the most part he was able to recognize a nightmare as it began and separate himself to become an impartial observer. In some he would almost fulfill Adam's and Foss's wishes, saving the world or eradicating disease or discovered perfect nuclear fusion, only to get killed by some ridiculous or ludicrous and often minuscule thing. He'd learned to laugh at those dreams eventually, but it had taken time. Nicole had been a tremendous help.

In some nightmares he killed people, lied, and cheated others only because he could. Those nightmares he didn't enjoy. He knew he could be trained in the military to be a near perfect assassin. It was a future he totally rejected.

In others, he lost the people he loved, starting with bare acquaintances, to friends, to family, Jessi, and finally Amanda. Despite everything he could do, with or without Jessi's help, he always lost everyone. That nightmare still terrified him. He needed human contact, good wholesome people to connect with. When he was completely alone in his nightmare, he would allow them to capture him and do their worst to him. He no longer cared by then. And because they would starve him of the good aspects of relationships, of love and friendship, he would transform into a darker form of himself. He would be significantly weaker in many respects because he'd be broken. He would conduct his own experiments on the world at large, experimenting on bacteria, viruses, cybernetic implants. The dream would only end when everyone on the world was dead. He felt his heart beat faster and he shuddered at the thought.

Alone. Five letters could not be worse. Was it coincidence that clone could be nearly as bad?


	3. Chapter 3

Kyle woke up instantly from the smell of blueberry pancakes. He'd slept peacefully but he couldn't say the same for Amanda. Somehow, even asleep, he'd kept track of her heartbeat and the state of her dreams. They hadn't been good.

He consulted his mental graph and noticed her heart rate had peaked at three different times, each worse than the last. Had it been him he likely would have just stayed up.

He remembered her agitation while still awake; until he'd been compelled to see if something was wrong. He hadn't pried into her state of mind last night with their texts. He had kept the subject safe and neutral. If she wanted to open up she could. He would never force her.

Kyle smiled when he thought of Amanda. He could hear that she was awake too. He really wanted to see her and today she'd be at the Rack working the late shift. He'd be able to walk her home, hold her hand, and probably kiss a few times. How he loved that; it gave him butterflies just thinking about it.

He figured he probably had one of his 17 Amanda looks right now but thankfully no one was there to announce it. He could hear the shower running upstairs and noticed it was Lori. Jessi wasn't in the house; she was out with Foss training this morning. Josh was busy getting ready for the morning shift at the Rack and both Stephen and Nicole were sharing time with each other in the kitchen while 'the kids' were still asleep.

It felt like a normal morning at the Trager house. As Kyle got dressed and tidied his bedroom, Kyle noticed that Amanda had left her house and was coming to him. He knew she was going to the front door though so he sprinted out of his room and opened it just before she got there.

"Hi Amanda," he said, a big grin on his face.

She didn't appear at all surprised that he had known she was coming. She smiled too. "Hi Kyle." Her eyes darted behind him as Nicole peeked into the hall.

"Hello Amanda! We have some extra blueberry pancakes if you want some; come in!"

"No thanks Mrs. Trager," she paused. Her eyes looked a little sad as she looked into his eyes. "Kyle, um, I came to see Lori…" Her voice resonated apology, but Kyle dismissed it. He could smell her from where he stood and she smelled wonderful.

He moved to the side. "Come on in Amanda, Lori's in the shower at the moment but," he paused a moment. "She just finished." He took her hand and led her by him. "I'll see you later." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She responded with a quick hug before going upstairs.

He turned his attention to the pancakes he was about to eat. Today he would try to focus on isolating his sense of taste. He knew from his reading that the sense of smell as acutely connected to the sense of taste. Without one you generally couldn't have the other. He didn't put any syrup on the first pancake and took a small bite, closed his eyes, and savoured.

Nicole and Stephen watched him; he knew from their continued silence. It took a lot of focus but he thought he tasted eggs, flour, milk, blueberries, salt, and a seasoning or was it two? He opened his eyes and asked, "Nicole, what seasonings do you add to your pancakes?"

***

She didn't wait long for Lori to get dressed. Lori opened the door and she walked inside, closing it behind her. Lori's left eyebrow rose half-way up her forehead. She appropriately whispered, "So Amanda, it's a little unusual for you to be seeking advice this early in the morning."

Amanda pulled out a large pad of sticky notes and two pens from her jeans' back pocket. She handed one pen to Lori. Lori's mouth was literally agape. Amanda quickly scrawled, "Kyle won't overhear."

Lori composed herself, sensing that some gossip might be coming her way. Taking half the pad of sticky notes, she wrote, "Do tell."

"Kyle told me everything yesterday."

"Yes."

"He's a really good guy."

"But." Lori seemed to have an innate sense when buts were hanging about.

"He's too good."

"For you?"

"No, no. Just too good."

Lori paused almost a minute before continuing. "True. That's Kyle."

Now it was her turn to pause. Maybe it was best to be direct. "I need to corrupt him."

Lori gasped when she read that. "Wouldn't that corrupt you too?"

Amanda blushed severely just then. Clearly they weren't on the same track. "I don't mean sex."

Lori nodded. She pondered a moment. "Why?"

There was only one word that came to mind. "Latnok."

"Continue."

It was time to dive right in. With a fresh sticky note under her pen, she wrote, "Latnok abducted me once. They could do it to any of us. They're not gone, just hiding. Cassidy left, without a trace. It won't stay that way. They'll be back. Kyle must change or they will keep pushing his buttons."

"How do you propose to corrupt him?"

"That's why I am asking you."

"We should get Jessi in on this."

"No."

"Hils?"Amanda was incredulous. Hillary also knew Kyle's secrets? Since when?

"She knows?" She was really getting angry. Lori quickly shook her head.

Amanda sighed. She didn't remember ever having this much trouble with anger and frustration. "How would you ask her? Can you bring her to the Rack tonight?"

"Won't Kyle be there?"

Lori's eyes lit up when she read Amanda's last note. "He will, but he won't be in our hair."

***

Kyle went for a jog, intentionally travelling at a leisurely pace. As he got near a large park he slowed even more. He took deep breaths, focusing on his sense of smell. He'd learned that Nicole had much more than just two spices, but a mixture of six of them in various degrees. At least he'd had the main ingredients right.

He noted the wind's direction and velocity over the last ten seconds. With his eyes he determined a 3D area that he should be able to detect by smell. There was a couple, a baby, and a small dog within the area.

He stopped moving altogether, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. As Nicole had suggested at breakfast, he pretended to be doing yoga.

He smelled a lot of grass, of weeds, of pollen. He focused harder but he wasn't getting anything more. He wondered idly whether he should be able to smell like a dog with his brain – and quickly dismissed it. He didn't know the limits of his abilities; he could already do so many things he'd thought impossible. And then the wind changed minutely and he could smell the dog, or at least a small amount of poo it had stuck in its fur. It was pretty unnerving and smelled pretty terribly but he kept going. Just when he thought he couldn't handle it anymore, he smelled baby powder followed by what he perceived as a cloying alkaline smell, probably the baby's urine.

Wondering once more whether he was truly smelling these things or merely envisioning them because of his encyclopedic knowledge – he would certainly never forget the smell of a birthing mother that's for sure – he opened his eyes. The baby has happily cooing in the mother's arms and the father was holding a little lavender scented bag with the offensive dung inside.

Why yes! He could smell the synthetic compounds that produced the smell of lavender! He believed he could even tell what some of the compounds were.

Bearing a huge grin, he began to run, faster than he had all the way to the park. It was harder to discern the individual chemicals involved in natural smells but being in a city, even in the suburbs where he was, he had ample opportunity to discover some truly noxious synthetic substances in his own neighbourhood.

He began to wonder if the expansion of his sense of smell had been a good idea after all. He was getting worried about the various chemical compositions and concentrations. He resolved himself to tackle one issue at a time.

***

When he got home no one was there so he went to his room to gather a few things then went upstairs to take a shower. As the water cascaded over him, a vague idea struck him odd about that morning. He couldn't immediately formulate exactly what was wrong or out of place. Since no one else was there he replayed the entire morning in his memory. Suddenly it was morning again and he was sitting at the table, his eyes closed as he attempted to determine the individual ingredients in Nicole's blueberry pancakes.

As he'd known, Stephen and Nicole were looking at him with interest and shared a glance. Stephen shrugged minutely before turning back to Kyle. Suddenly memory Kyle opened his eyes and asked, "Nicole, what seasonings do you add to your pancakes?"

As the remainder of the scene began to play out as he remembered, a thought occurred to him. He could hear Amanda's heartbeat, and Lori's, but absolutely neither of their voices, only the mildest movements, and only intermittently.

He moved to the hall and dismissed the scene immediately around the kitchen. He realized his memory retained some elements of the entire household and created what it believed the house was like from previous experiences. Standing before the door to Lori's room, he noticed it was closed. He could hear the vague scratching and what sounded like small papers being moved or shuffled but he couldn't make it out precisely and it wasn't any louder or clearer because he was now closer to the source; unfortunately because he'd been in the kitchen focusing on his sense of taste he couldn't truly examine this part of the house.

From past experience he knew that if he opened Lori's door he'd probably see immobile versions of Lori and Amanda in definitely no true representation of their true activities that morning. He sighed, taking comfort in Amanda's heartbeat for a moment before returning his attention to the moment he'd opened the front door for her. The current scene with the mysterious sounds dissolved and reconstructed itself into the open front door and the hallway.

"Hi Amanda," memory Kyle said, a big grin on his face. He scrutinized himself briefly and noted what looked like Amanda look number 9 on his face. He was positively smitten by his lovely girlfriend.

She still didn't appear surprised and she flashed memory him a smile. Despite being directed to his other self, it made him smile. "Hi Kyle." Her eyes darted behind him as Nicole peeked into the hall.

"Hello Amanda! We have some extra blueberry pancakes if you want some; come in!"

"No thanks Mrs. Trager," she paused. This time the pause felt longer though it was still only 3.4 seconds long. She looked at him and said, "Kyle, um, I came to see Lori…" He let the scene play out, noticed himself breathing in the smell of flower-scented soap and a very mild perfume. Sure he'd missed it previously, he realized her heartbeat was a little elevated, and her hands were a little clammy.

He took the moment to appreciate her appearance, but he refused to leer like some of the men he saw just about everywhere did to beautiful women like her. As she passed by both of him, it was then he noticed the bulges in the back pockets of her jeans. One was square and from the other pocket protruded two pens.

He stood there in his own memory, wondering what Amanda didn't want him to overhear. Because she knew little said in the house could be kept from him, he now knew this had been planned a secret conversation. It hurt to see her intentionally keeping something from him, deliberately creating secrets, and even bringing Lori into it.

He envisioned Amanda slowly distancing herself from him, unable to cope with his being a clone. It was true that he also had feelings for Jessi but he primarily understood those as kinship, of being the same. But he knew there was potential for more there as well.

Feeling he was too close to the situation, that he was emotionally compromised – Nicole had taught him therapists and counselors had to remain detached and objective to be most useful – he determined he needed someone else's opinion. He could only think of one person.

The house resolved around him once more, this time reality bringing life to his senses. The water was warm and his fingers had begun to prune. His face turned grim as he turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Jessi was coming upstairs to take her own shower.

***

Amanda spotted Hillary and Lori come into the Rack. It was a pretty slow day being Sunday evening. "Hi girls!" she exclaimed, a little excitement getting the better of her.

"I hear you need my services but the subject matter is being withheld despite my guesses," Hillary said with faux anger directed at Lori.

Lori piped up after scanning the room, "Kyle's gone home?"

Amanda's smile faltered for only a moment. "He hasn't come yet." Lori looked quizzically into her eyes. Hillary waited impatiently.

"Out with it girls." She stuck out her hand as though they would deposit the secrets directly into her hand.

Amanda sneered as she pulled out three pads of sticky notes and three pens. "No talk, write."

***

He had known that Jessi, sensing an opportunity to drive a wedge between him and Amanda, would do so willingly. It had surprised him however how caring Jessi had been when he presented his problems to her. They had hugged and he'd brought her into his memories of that morning.

Of course she'd inquired about the taste experiment and that had led to the smell experiment in the park. She admitted she didn't see much value in expanding those senses but was nonetheless clearly jealous that he had two more abilities, even if they were still rudimentary.

He was painfully aware of her scent and a small tinge of something that he couldn't quite identify. Unbidden he found himself breathing her in; she'd noticed.

It would have been so easy for her to take advantage of him. Despite his resolution to be solely her friend, he'd reacted in much the same way he had the first time he'd been at the local pool and he'd been rescued by…

Amanda. He very nearly cursed. In his state of confusion, time had seemed to fly by and now it was quite late. He got up from the park bench and sprinted to the Rack with five minutes to spare before closing time.

He opened the door and saw Amanda wiping down tables and placing chairs upside down on top of them. No one else was there. She glanced his way and a big smile appeared in her eyes. "Hi," she said and he returned the greeting with a sheepish look. She raised her eyebrows a little and said, "Did you forget?"

The truth seemed best. "I lost track of time."

She didn't stop in her cleaning but he saw a small smile as she said, "I find that a little suspect." She chuckled and he did too in response. "But I was pretty sure you'd come before I finished though."

"You had doubts." Not a question but a statement. His spirits were dampening by the moment.

"Would you like to help me with the chairs," she asked. Any trace of a smile vanished from his face.

"Yeah, sure." The physical activity did little to ease his brooding. He didn't know what to say so he said nothing. His heart felt heavy.

When the restaurant was locked up for the night, she jolted him by giving him a big hug. She looked into his eyes, concern evident. "You look really down. What's wrong?"

He smelled and felt her; the reaction was visceral and instantaneous. He bent to kiss her much more aggressively than ever before. She initially kissed back but pulled back sharply. "Teeth!" she shouted. She brought a hand to her mouth. "That actually hurt!" She took a step back.

"Amanda," he started, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." Even now, this close to her, his judgement was clouded and he could only focus on her. He felt lithe, virile, and was quickly being overtaken by lust. The feelings scared him intensely. He took several steps upwind from her. It helped calm him enough to talk coherently. "Let me explain. You know how I can hear your heartbeat from a distance, and that I can see in the dark as long as it's not total darkness?" She nodded, her hands tightly bound in front of her. "Today my senses of smell and taste got much sharper…" he trailed off.

She appeared fearful. "So you try to eat me," she said, suddenly chuckling. "I see why you didn't come to the Rack earlier then." She chuckled again then turned serious. "You need to control that." She took a step toward him and he took a step back. "How can I help you with this Kyle?" Perhaps it was more shock than fear? He wasn't thinking straight.

He was gasping, as though he'd run many miles. "I'll have to learn to control it; I don't know how you can help me. Maybe Jessi…"

Her outburst stopped him in mid breath. "No!" She took several steps toward him as he stood still. He could smell her again but this time her anger dissipated his feelings. "She has the same feelings for you that I do! If you go to her now she'll, I'll, just no all right?"

In a corner of his mind he noted she still loved him. In another, he had a new secret. Jessi had restrained herself completely for him and for Amanda. She certainly loved to push Amanda's buttons but not when he needed her. It was true that Jessi did love him too.

(Monologue) I'd known for some time that both Jessi and Amanda loved me in their own ways, but it became clear that they were more like the other than they cared to admit. It was all about delivery.


	4. Chapter 4

She knew exactly where Kyle had gone, could easily have followed and cornered him. She could have kissed him, have held him, and won him from Amanda.

"Why am I staying here then," she wondered aloud.

She was surprised to hear a familiar voice. "Because he was intoxicated and you knew he'd regret it." She turned to see her dead mother Sarah. "If you can't get him with your skills, with yourself, you don't want him."

"But that's not true!" she yelled to Sarah. She'd intentionally tried to pry the two sick love birds apart, had kissed him a number of times, and really thought she and Kyle had connected. But after she had saved Amanda from Nate and learned that Amanda wasn't quite as docile as she'd believed, she'd decided to leave them be. Sure when he'd picked Amanda over her she'd been hurt, but she'd since taken to training triple time with Foss. There were things she could now do that Kyle would find surprising at least, impressive she hoped.

"Who am I kidding?" Having heard from Kyle that he sometimes received clarifying moments and insights from his late father Adam when they were truly from himself, she didn't find this conversation unnerving. "I've wanted to be with him for 19 months, 12 days, 4 hours –"

"Spare me, I'm you, remember?" Jessi fumed and paced. Sarah continued, "There've been a few guys at school who've shown interest in you but you've turned them all down before they could even utter more than three words your way."

There was no denying that.

"And there's Declan."

"Kyle's best friend Declan you mean. I still have a hard time with Lori too, even though she's broken up with him."

"Ask her first. Isn't that part of some girl friend code?" Sarah smirked. Niceties and manners didn't come naturally to Jessi but she'd done a lot of reading in the last six months. Although Foss seemed pretty rough around the edges he'd been a surprising source of information on psychology and sociology in general. Declan was nothing like Kyle of course but he had certainly been nice to her.

Not known for her patience, she left the house for the Rack.

***

When she got there, she hesitated outside the front door. She'd already spotted Amanda, Lori, and Hillary and they were alone inside. It was a very quiet Sunday evening. She sensed Kyle struggling with his new abilities a little over three miles away. He felt totally confused. Ignoring her connection to Kyle for the moment, she walked in with a large friendly smile on her face. "Hi girls!"

They turned as one and conspicuously held their hands over their pads of sticky notes. Amanda got up and asked her, "Hi Jessi, would you like to order something?"

Jessi often found Amanda's outward sweetness vile, but she did know it was useful. It had lured Kyle hadn't it? On second thought, that was surely why she found the pretty blonde's distasteful sweetness, well, repulsive. It was just that Amanda, despite her social graces and good manners, simply rubbed her the wrong way.

As Foss had taught her, she outwardly projected calm and a little indifference to the triggers that normally would have set her off in the past. She was collected and aimed directly to her goal. "Thanks Amanda but no." She looked to Lori and addressed her, "Can I have a little word with you for a moment?" She had forgotten to keep smiling so she put a nice one on.

It didn't escape her that all three girls were simply radiating distrust; when would they learn they could trust her? Her aura of calm threatened to crack for just a moment until she thought of a good lie to break the silence. "I hope I'm not interrupting your chat, I really won't take much of your time at all." Again with the smile, but this time she lowered its intensity just a little.

Hillary's reaction was the most positive of the three, but it irked her that Lori was still generally troubled by her presence. She knew why but she didn't enjoy revisiting those days. Thankfully Lori got up and approached. When she got close enough she whispered to Lori, "Is Declan still off limits?"

Lori's eyes bulged and her mouth opened. She was usually quite good at articulating her thoughts but Jessi figured she'd thrown her off sufficiently with the direct question. Foss would have been proud of her. Lori was shaking her head and both Hillary and Amanda at the table were picking up the pads and burying them into pockets.

Seeing Lori wasn't speaking a whole lot, she kept going. "I'd like to hang out with Declan and maybe hook up with him again."

Lori was finally speaking again. "Why?"

When nothing else was forthcoming, Jessi almost sighed. "I may as well keep my options open and he's available and he's cute enough." She noted that Lori had the presence of mind not to mention Kyle. Instead she merely raised an eyebrow. Jessi relented, as she had planned all along. "If Declan is still a little too close to your heart, I'll be his friend and maybe you can help me find someone more to our liking?" As Lori visibly relaxed, Jessi finished, "Thanks, I'll call him up or maybe I'll climb into his bedroom…" She then turned around and briskly walked out the door, leaving Lori a virtual puddle of raging emotions.

She smiled the smallest of smiles. It was just too easy.

***

Amanda was suspicious of Jessi the moment she'd entered but had remained civil; besides, she was also working. When she realized that Jessi could do most of the same things Kyle could, she frantically began pocketing the sticky notes. Before she'd finished Jessi was already gone.

Lori turned to them with a blank look. "I don't know what just happened there," she practically whispered.

Hillary sensed even more gossip and piped up, "You don't look so good girl friend." Amanda agreed. "What did she say?"

Amanda would never believe that Jessi would stop pursuing Kyle. She'd seen too much, including them kissing. No, it would take hard evidence before she'd let her guard down. "Lori, I hate to say it but, I just think she's messing with you." And me she thought.

"But why?" Lori looked like she might cry.

Hillary put a hand on her shoulder. "We just have to find her someone other than Kyle and Declan to be with." She smiled after looking at Amanda. "What about Charlie?"

Amanda groaned, and could feel herself blushing. It made Lori smile though so it wasn't all bad. "Thanks for coming tonight. If either of you think of anything else, leave me a note when I'm working here inside a bill as we discussed."

Jessi seemed to have been forgotten already. Hillary sat forward in her chair and whispered, bringing her hand to the centre of the table, "This'll be fun ladies!"


	5. Chapter 5

The basketball flew gracefully through the air and hit nothing but net. Jessi said as she grabbed the ball, "Nice shot Declan!" She'd never played basketball before but it looked easy enough.

She attempted to dribble but took just a little too long because he swiped it away, went back a few feet and took a jumper. The ball hit the backboard and went in for two more points.

"So Declan, you dribble like this?" She started whipping the ball against the court, bringing it between her legs while she avoided him and went in for an easy lay-up. It went in; she was down by two.

She noticed Declan's spirits rise instead of sinking as she'd expected. He loved the challenge.

She smiled because she liked challenge too. He expertly dribbled the ball and stopped an arm length away, feinted to the left then circled to the right running out to three point territory before turning and firing. The ball had a graceful arc in the air but landed squarely on the rim and ricocheted almost directly into Jessi's hands.

Jessi learned quickly in physical pursuits and was confident in all her abilities. She'd seen Declan make a slam dunk while practising. She decided it was her turn and jumped nearly three feet into the air before slamming it home. They were now even.

Declan seemed to get serious. Because she wasn't advancing he took a clear shot from 15 feet, one he could take with his eyes closed when unchallenged. He missed as the ball hit the rim again and fell into Jessi's hands. She took the jumper from the same place and hit nothing but net.

Jessi did not do anything by half measures. When she competed, it was to kill. Every shot Declan took from the outside hit the rim and practically fell into her lap on the rebound whether she jumped or not. After several shots she felt his mood change. He was frustrated, angry. She was up 20 to 4 when she pretended to misread his play and he went in for an easy slam dunk.

When his success didn't help his mood, she felt it was time to finish the game. Without turning toward the net she ran into three point territory before lobbing it over her shoulder while still running in the opposite direction. As she knew it would, it went in. She turned and smiled at him while he got the ball and dribbled into position. He hadn't seemed too surprised when she'd done that shot. He was gritting his teeth.

He went left then right. Quick as lightning she moved up just as he was moving back to the left and cleanly grasped the ball before it bounced onto the court. They hurriedly switched their positions. He stood back and motioned for her to come at him. Smiling, from 20 feet out she dribbled the ball forcibly into the court in front of her as though it had been a bounce pass to Declan but it flew high into the air and circled the rim once before going in. "Yes!" she exclaimed and she flashed him a smile of victory. She opened her arms wide and said, "Here Declan, let me give you a victory hug."

Her smile faded as he turned around, disgusted at himself for having missed so many shots. The sensation was so strong she didn't follow.

***

Amanda smiled to herself in her bedroom mirror. It was time to initiate her plan to corrupt Kyle. Although she understood he was still unable to fully control himself with his new ability, she figured it might actually assist her in her plans. Under her clothes she had a new red bathing suit on. Even though it was one piece it showed a significant amount of her back and sides.

She left a note for her mother in case she wasn't back for lunch – she'd prepared her favourite sandwich and fruit salad. Content with the condition of the house, she went directly to Kyle's bedroom window.

Now she knew that if he was there he'd hear her well before she got there. She wasn't surprised to see him open his window for her. "Hi Amanda, come inside." He took a deep breath, shook his head slightly and started to breathe with his mouth open. It made him appear as though he had a cold. She smiled at his predicament. Life would never be dull with Kyle.

"Hi Kyle," she flashed him her best smile. "I know you're probably not up to it, but I'd really like to go to the pool today with you." Before he could raise any objections, she raised her top a little to reveal her bathing suit. "I'm already ready!"

She counted on his desire to do everything for her, on his extra sweet, good streak which also made him vulnerable to Latnok. He would be unwilling to sacrifice anyone before himself and was therefore prone to throwing his life away. He'd probably jump in front of a bullet to save her… She shuddered at the stray thought. When he didn't immediately reply, she added, "I'm sure that out in the open with a chlorinated pool's smell all around us, maybe you'll have better luck controlling your sense of smell."

He appeared to think about her argument and nodded, "Okay. That sounds like a good idea. Let me get ready and we'll go."

She touched his shoulder, not wanting to stress him out too much too soon. "Thanks." She paused a brief moment before adding, "Why don't I ask Lori if she wants to come too?" Before she even finished her sentence, she headed for the door, pleased with herself.

When she saw Lori she was already ready but they went through the formality in case Kyle was actively listening. It wouldn't do to have him suspect anything. "Hi Lori, Kyle and I are going to the pool today, would you like to come?"

Before Lori could answer Josh piped up as he emerged from the bathroom, "I'll come too."

Lori said while rolling her eyes at her younger brother. "I'd love to Amanda." She turned to Josh, "As long as Josh doesn't get in my way tanning and looking great poolside, he can come too."

"Oh thank you wise mistress for letting me out of the dungeon," he grumbled with his hands in the air, pretending to worship his sister. He deftly avoided her playful slap.

"I wish Andy wasn't so far away, you're getting really weird." That dampened his spirits. "Sorry." Amanda suppressed a smile and stayed silent. Josh was being a little strange, it was true, but then he'd been that way for years. She remembered specifically the Kyle is an Alien list and nearly giggled out loud.

Interrupting their banter, Amanda said, "If you can be ready in five minutes, you can come with us."

Turning serious, Josh said, "You both realize I have a car of my own right?"

Kyle emerged at the base of the stairs and spoke up, "Carpooling is better for the environment. Let's go!" Amanda and Lori shared a smile and Lori closed her door to 'change' while Josh actually did so. Amanda wasn't surprised that Kyle had taken the idea of going to the pool as his own because it had been hers. She was saddened that she could probably convince him to do something much crazier by merely pouting and batting her eyelashes at him, not that she would play him that way of course.

That was one part of Kyle that seriously needed changing.

They crammed into her car and she drove to the pool amidst little conversation. Only Josh brought up Amanda's third wheel, Jessi. "I wonder where Jessi is, she'd probably be a very good swimmer like you Kyle." Amanda refrained from commenting but her smile faded nonetheless.

She noticed Kyle look into her eyes with his mouth open through the rear view mirror. Kyle said, "I had to be taught to swim before I mastered it."

"Yeah, in what, an afternoon? Dude, Amanda could teach her in half an hour." Although it was nice to be recognized as a great swimmer and lifeguard, Amanda didn't really think her training Jessi in anything would go well.

An awkward silence filled the cabin of the car for the last five minutes of the trip.

Josh bolted from the car when she had parked. "Time to scope out the ladies – see ya!"

Lori looked offended and Kyle appeared genuinely surprised. Kyle said out loud to no one in particular, "But isn't he with Andy?"

Lori huffed, "Men!" She paused, "Even young ones."

Amanda decided to start with a right hook, "Even the sweet nice ones."

It was Kyle's turn to get offended. "What?"

Lori backed her up. "Isn't it true that you were getting into Jessi when you were first dating Amanda?" It turned out to be the first knock out. Kyle stood there speechless. To confuse him further though, Amanda grabbed his arm, planted a wet kiss on his cheek, and almost dragged him to the pool. When they got there she playfully took off her clothes while looking into his eyes. She was pleased that she had a mesmerizing effect on him even though their intimacy wasn't too far along. It was certainly not because she didn't want to, only that she didn't want to. She giggled slightly at the thought. She always seemed to giggle nervously when she thought of sex with Kyle. She was thankful he couldn't read her mind.

She spotted Hillary in a light blue bikini that barely covered anything. Her eyes practically ogled at Lori's friend. She knew the plan was already on. Turning back to Kyle she hesitated. He remained rooted to the spot with his mouth open trying to breathe solely through his mouth. She closed the gap to him and raised his chin to close his mouth then planted a quick kiss. She pulled away immediately when she saw him take a deep breath with his nose. "Remember control Kyle. You can do anything you put your mind to."

Then she dove into the pool with very little splash.

***

Amanda's scent filled him and made his entire body tingle. As he took a deep breath he noticed others' scents, males and females, of sunscreen, deodorants, and shampoo. There was obviously the strong scent of chlorine which made the rest tolerable at least. It left a sharp tang at the back of his throat. He quickly counted the people around them: 27. It was still early though and the day was going to be clear and hot; he expected the attendance to triple within the hour.

He saw some girls looking at him and whispering to each other. Although he certainly could have overheard them he chose to keep his attention moving. He noticed Hillary barely clothed talking to a couple of guys who were chatting with her for all they were worth. He ignored that too. At least he tried to.

There was a faint smell coming from Hillary and the guys. It was of natural origin and didn't come from her hair or from any perfume or spray. It was almost like the smell told him their intentions. That was what it felt like anyway.

Unsurprisingly the guys emanated desire and lust. It was such a strong feeling that he suddenly felt it too. All he could see was Hillary. After taking a few steps toward her, he caught Josh's smell, though it was directed to the girls who were staring at him. He believed he could smell directions in these natural scents, vectors which he could then use to locate the targets of these intentions. From Josh, he sensed insecurity and unwillingness coupled with desire. From the girls he noted mainly curiosity.

His head had cleared when he'd sensed Josh's scent but it was masked again by the guys and Hillary. Though he certainly felt their intentions continue, the guy not talking was sending out waves to just about every woman there. Hillary on the other hand –

Suddenly he heard Lori yell before crashing into the water. He turned toward her and saw a guy standing by the pool waving to the lifeguard that he'd done nothing. Kyle felt that not many believed him. He noticed immediately that Lori had quickly recovered from her unintentional fall in the water but that Amanda was close by and helped her.

Two new guys walked by him as he started to remove his shirt to join Amanda in the pool. He pictured strutting peacocks boldly displaying their feathers. And then he smelled one of the girls that had been staring at him look at one of the peacocks and radiate hostility, distrust, and pain.

Kyle nearly gasped aloud and he turned to the girl. He looked back and forth between her and the peacock guy. He completely ignored her but then he noticed Hillary and the lust he'd felt previously had seemed merely a ripple. Now there was a wave washing over him coming from the same guy. His head began to cloud over when Amanda tapped him on the shoulder from behind, "Kyle, can you get my sunscreen in the car please? I forgot."

While Kyle instinctively heard Amanda speak, it had felt like a whisper in a gale.

He gasped when he realized what would happen. He hurried to Hillary. Her attention briefly moved to peacock as he came into her view and the guys she had been speaking with noticed the look and their scents dimmed noticeably.

Alpha peacock took charge, "Hi, my friend and I noticed you from the parking lot. You're so fine."

Hillary didn't get to speak because Kyle had sidestepped the peacocks and forcibly grabbed Hillary's shoulders. "Sweetheart, why don't we take a swim," he nearly yelled before launching them into the water.

***

Amanda was surprised when Kyle bolted toward Hillary and was shocked when Kyle grabbed her. When Hillary started flailing in the water, she noticed Hillary's predicament with dread. Her bikini top had fallen off. What was worse was that Kyle didn't immediately realize it. He swam with Hillary half the length of the pool when he suddenly stopped and looked around. She tried to tread water and cover herself at the same time. Only because Kyle held her with both hands did she not sink and they were in the deep end.

Amanda rushed in and dove headlong into the pool. "Stay there Kyle," she shouted.

She quickly retrieved the bikini top. As she turned she felt a large splash right behind her. "I'll take it to her." It was clearly not an offer as he tried to grab it from her. Feeling threatened, Amanda used her legs to kick off the guy's chest as though he'd been one of the walls of the pool and got away. She swam as efficiently as she could to stay ahead of the guy who she thought would surely follow. And then it hit her: he wasn't following. She turned and saw the guy sinking beneath the surface, a small stain of red forming there.

Hillary shrieked her name. The lifeguard on duty, a friend of hers, jumped into the water after blowing her whistle. The piercing call was meant to get everyone out of the pool at once. She'd hurt the guy bad it seemed. She was torn for only a moment. In one motion she threw Hillary's top toward them but off the mark. She saw Hillary raise her arm trying to catch it, exposing herself in the process.

With a strong stroke and hurried kicks, she went to assist in saving the guy's life.

***

His head was clearer than it had been all day. When he saw that Amanda's throw would miss them by six and a half feet he had planned to swim to it but then in the excitement Hillary had raised her arm to catch it. She'd not realized that the wind would carry it to their right. He smelled overwhelming shock in Hillary and mounds of curiosity mostly from the guys around the pool, mixed with envy and jealousy.

He only had three options and neither was particularly good. He could let go of Hillary and get it. From her flailing and sporadic kicking she either didn't know how to swim or was just in shock. She'd likely go under before he got back which made it not an option at all.

He could swim just fine without his hands, even with holding Hillary. His legs were strong enough to propel him in the water but that was where the dilemma came in. How could he protect her from the leers? He could certainly have cupped her with his hands and kicked them to her bikini top but he opted for the lesser of two evils instead. He hugged her to him instead and hurriedly swam to it.

He was surprised he didn't feel lust or desire for Hillary, only concern. He took a few quick breaths and noticed her scent was mostly hidden because of the water. Only the faint smell of shampoo and some perfume sprayed on her neck made themselves known.

Having retrieved the bikini top, Hillary recovered enough of her senses to try putting it on. He realized the single clasp was broken; it was not meant to be worn in the water despite being part of a swimsuit. He found that very odd.

***

Hillary and Lori had run from the pool once Kyle had brought her safely to the edge of the pool. Amanda had certainly not imagined him saving Hillary by crushing her to him. She was far from jealous, though she knew the retelling of this story would certainly bring her lots of blushing and embarrassment.

Not the least of which was the guy she'd hurt in the process. She looked on from a respectable distance, worry creasing her brow.

The lifeguard, despite being a co-worker and friend, beckoned her. The guy had spat up a little water and was thankfully breathing again. The cut was superficial at best and the bleeding already stopped but she knew he might have a concussion. "Miss, I'll have to report this incident to the city. I will be mentioning that you, as a fully licensed lifeguard, was performing an unofficial service to a person who had lost an article of clothing and that this gentleman got too close and hit his head on the wall. I trust you're okay with this description of the events?"

So there would be no mention of her actively kicking his chest but also no mention of his attempting to cause trouble. It seemed fair so she nodded. She was impressed that her colleague had thought of the description so quickly.

The lifeguard turned to the guy she'd just saved and his friend. "Is that acceptable to you as well?" He nodded and looked at Amanda. He appeared very humble or self effacing, she wasn't sure which.

"I'm really very sorry," she said to the guy. She heard the guy's friend tell him she helped get him out of the water.

"Me too."

After several minutes, the guy, whose name was Jim, was sitting in a patio chair in the shade of a large umbrella. A few girls were chatting with him, practically draping themselves on him in concern for his health. It made her sick to her stomach. He seemed to be doing just fine now. If he hadn't surprised her in the pool she would not have used him as a launching pad for her escape.

Disgusted, she turned and scanned the crowd for Kyle. It took her some time to spot him because he was treading water in a peculiar way. His head was half submerged and the water remained just below his nose at all times, regardless of the waves. He wouldn't need to explain at all; so close to the water he'd only be smelling the chlorinated water.

No longer feeling like swimming, she motioned for him to come out. She was already mostly dry from being out of the water for half an hour. Besides, with her fellow conspirators gone she certainly couldn't manage the plan alone.

Although he'd been at the far end of the pool when she'd spotted him, it seemed that he was in front of her in very little time. "Amanda, what's the matter?"

Staring into his eyes, she said nothing, not wanting to trigger his lie detection ability. Instead she merely flashed her eyes toward Jim for a brief moment, letting him come up with his own story. Nothing more needed to be said. Kyle immediately found Josh, who also appeared miserable, and together they sombrely made their way to her car and she drove them home in silence.

When they all got out, Kyle stayed near, holding her hand. She was sure he knew that she loved being near him. "Kyle, I have to go inside and change and think for a bit." She looked down for a moment and looked into his eyes. "Would you like to come to the Rack later tonight?" She gave him her best tentative half smile.

He brightened instantly. "Yes I would like that Amanda." He gently held her hand and came close. She noticed his nostrils flare slightly and he bent to her for a kiss. Regardless of her plan to corrupt him, she couldn't deny him the kiss; she loved him. It always thrilled her to kiss and hold him. Closing her eyes she puckered her lips and moved forward, pressing gently against him.

The kiss didn't last long. In fact he'd only barely brushed his lips against hers. When he pulled away he huskily said, "I'm sorry," and ran into his house. She felt like she'd been knocked out by the lightest touch. She stood rooted to the spot for nearly a minute before she remembered about Lori and Hillary.

She had to organize plan B.


	6. Chapter 6

Jessi entered the Rack with a smile on her face. She knew Declan was there and was hoping he was feeling better than that afternoon. Reflecting on her personal feelings, she thought he overreacted to her winning by such a large margin. She'd believed that a hug would erase his negative feelings and that maybe they'd kiss afterward too. Her smile faded when she saw he wasn't alone. In fact, she could hardly believe how close he was sitting to a petite blonde with big lips and a chest to match.

Finding herself still standing by the door she scooted to a little magazine rack, fuming. After mere moments she calmed herself. Whereas before she would have confronted the bimbo right there, now she tried to assess everyone's motivations before acting rashly. She only couldn't repress her original impression of situations and she still had some trouble communicating with others her age. She knew she was pretty blunt.

She laughed at herself, something she'd only begun to learn to do. She wasn't just blunt, she was a sledgehammer trying to put a small nail into drywall. Not always of course, she worked pretty hard at it, but she certainly could work harder.

She listened into their conversation and immediately started blushing. She couldn't believe the directness of this girl! She was practically throwing herself at him, and by his heartbeat, he was lapping it up. Frustration ground her teeth for her as she tried to analyze their motivations, and her own.

Damn Kyle! He was her voice of reason, of conflict prevention. He'd had her read lectures and books to control her anger, which she freely admitted she had. It's just that she also knew deep in her heart that the anger was only there because she didn't have love there first. But because of Amanda – she spat out the name in her head – and because of a promise she made to Kyle, she couldn't pursue her first choice. When she'd promised, she'd known that Kyle was going to choose Amanda over her and that if she stepped aside but broke her promise, he would then turn her away as well. He wanted someone pure, someone virtuous.

Anger flared anew. She wanted to lash out at this girl, but she really wanted to confront Declan. Hadn't they talked on the phone for 38 minutes and 54 seconds last night, and played a great game of basketball that afternoon? When she spotted Lori sitting with Hillary and Amanda at a distant table – again with those sticky notes – she added to herself that he had little if any current emotional attachment to her. She hadn't actually snuck into his room for example, but merely called him up and talked. She then realized her mistake: she'd kept the entire conversation neutral, safe. In his shoes, she would see herself as a friend. She didn't think he could have missed hearing her offering a victory hug but she did know guys were notorious for selective hearing. She and Kyle didn't have that shortcoming.

Why did Kyle always enter her head? She ignored her question and continued her analysis.

Since her actions were the cause of the problem, her anger calmed somewhat. Declan was a good guy; he was Kyle's best friend; and he was someone she could trust to keep a secret. The only thing in her favour was that she'd once dated him, but everyone knew she'd been reprogrammed shortly thereafter by Madacorp to want Kyle. They'd kissed – a lot – and he'd even groped her a little bit. Or was that a corrupted memory? There were so many corrupted memories from the time when she'd dated Declan.

Sighing, she turned to leave the Rack, now that nothing was keeping her there.

A moment before she took a step, she heard a familiar heartbeat. "Hi Jessi, do you know where Kyle is," asked Amanda.

She turned and saw Lori and Hillary only steps behind her. "Yes, he's at the park by the cemetery."

Amanda visibly brightened at the news. "Great, thank you." Turning to Lori, "He's close by, he should be here soon. We should wait for him –"

Jessi interrupted her, "He's been there since immediately after dinner. He hasn't moved a bit." She found it peculiar but if Kyle didn't send her a message that he needed help she would stay away. She had to do that to keep herself from breaking her promise to him. Of course, it still bothered her to help Amanda but she was beginning to live with it.

"Thanks," Amanda said before turning again to Lori and Hillary. "I'll go get him." With only a nod from Lori, Amanda nearly ran out the door.

Jessi felt her eyes narrow for a moment before recovering. She said, "Do you have plans tonight? Could I come too?"

Lori answered, "Oh, no!" She paused for 1.7 seconds, "Amanda just wants to bring Kyle to the Rack to…" She trailed off, clearly thinking of something to add.

"I already understood she was bringing him here, but what are you –"

Hillary interrupted her, "Jessi, cupcake, did Declan turn you down?"

Leave it to Hillary to change the subject so abruptly. She wanted to continue her question to Lori but felt strangely compelled to answer Hillary. "No, we're friends." She intentionally left her face devoid of emotion.

She turned her eyes to Lori who had a hurt smile on her face. Lori stayed quiet and Hillary replied, "So you just yanked her chain last night? Just playing with her?" Hillary stared down her nose at her.

"I can't have Kyle so –"

"Didn't ask about Kyle," Hillary interrupted. "Lori's your sister."

Jessi felt the conversation tumbling out of control. It was going in a direction she had never contemplated. And when she felt uncertain, anger was always close behind. She took a deep breath.

Hillary added, "You don't do that to sisters, girl."

"I called him last night and we just talked. I played basketball with him today but he didn't hug me after the game..." The truth just tumbled out of her mouth.

Hillary smiled in triumph, "You never made your move!"

Jessi couldn't hold back a half smile, "I'm shy."

Lori burst out laughing. It sounded mirthless. "I can't believe you just said that!"

She felt affronted, "But I am."

Hillary finished, turning her head. "She's not." Jessi's eyes followed the gesture, and landed on the bimbo draping herself over Declan, kissing him. They separated and she whispered in his ear. Jessi noticed Declan swallowing hard, a little grin on his face. She didn't want to know. They both stood and she gently pulled him along towards the front door.

A strong feeling of passion washed over her at that moment. She knew where it came from but couldn't deny herself that feeling. Seeing Declan flushed with lips parted dropped the last barrier to restraint. She took three quick strides to intercept Declan as the front door was opening. She forcibly cupped his head in her hands and kissed him. He kissed her back.

The front door to the Rack shut with a terrible clatter, not once, twice.

***

He was exactly where Jessi had told her. When he turned around, she smiled.

Kyle had a nose plug on. He looked really sheepish and she chuckled a little. She kept advancing and took his hands. Looking into his eyes, she kissed him. When they separated, she said, "Kyle, you need to learn to use the ability, not hide from it." She put her fingers to the plug, "Ready? Control."

She hugged him gently, knowing he might pull away any moment. She heard him sniffing every now and then. She was surprised when he hugged her back, and he buried his face in her hair. "I'm here for you," she whispered.

He didn't say a word. Slowly, carefully, he took larger and larger breaths of her hair.

She certainly noticed his reaction but it didn't bother her. It certainly pleased her that she had that effect and was comforted that she could count on him to wait until she was ready. All thoughts of plan B faded from her mind as she enjoyed the moment, their closeness.

He continued to breathe her in. She noticed that he seemed to shiver ever so slightly, as though he were cold. She hugged him tighter for a moment and pulled away. She could see the love in his eyes, and certainly something more. She held up the nose plug, an offering.

He shook his head, "You're right Amanda." His voice was husky. She kissed him before he could continue.

She knew it wouldn't last but she could barely contain herself either. The park was secluded, Kyle was always sweet and his powerful reaction to her presence made her feel more alive as well. With moments like this it was difficult to maintain her resolve to wait until marriage.

Kyle pulled away abruptly, apologized, and ran.

She sighed, calming down at the same time. But then, wouldn't it be truly special when it finally happened? She walked slowly to the Rack before she remembered about plan B. She hurried and opened the front door, expecting to see Lori and Hillary impatiently waiting for her. She'd apologize and tell them Kyle had left before she could ask him. Scanning the room, she stopped in mid-stride. The place was almost empty.

Her boss was working the late shift tonight. Turning to him, she didn't get to ask him anything. He was smiling broadly, "You missed all the excitement." After he finished the confusing description of events, she thanked him before heading home.

Once inside her car, she texted Lori. She soon received a text from Hillary. "Go home muff, B won't work." When she pressed Hillary further for a better description of what happened – like, with names – all she received was "Go home."

Although she didn't enjoy being blown off, she started for home. From what she'd heard, she could only envision Jessi swooping into the Rack, making out with a guy without any sense of decency, which then made everyone leave. But why would Lori be upset? Unless the guy... Her mouth opened wide as she drove.

***

A young man stood watching a car speed through a stop sign. It never even braked. Emotionless, he pulled out his cell and hit a speed dial. He didn't wait for a hello. "The project has been initiated. Step 1 complete."

He started walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

The air was heavy with moisture thanks to the early morning rain. It had just stopped raining but she felt pretty unsettled. Turning around the corner she sped through streets she knew by heart. She could even count the number of steps required to get to the warehouse even.

She opened the door after looking around for anyone following her. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind her.

Foss's fist came at her head when she least expected it but she still managed to move out of the way just in time. She felt the air from his fist on her cheek. She quickly dropped to the ground to sweep his legs from under him but he jumped over her leg. His follow-up kick hit her directly below the sternum, attempting to drive the wind from her lungs. As she fought for breath, she jumped up and started a counter attack of jabs, punches, and kicks and soon had Foss backing up. She didn't break a sweat but she felt quite warm thanks to the rain coat she had on.

This was something he'd never yet done: engage in true hand to hand combat with the element of surprise. She knew he was good but she used her roiling emotions to drive her faster. Soon her punches blazed and he was clearly struggling to deflect all her blows.

Like any competition, she always fought with everything she had. She connected with his arm, then to his upper body twice, and finally brought her hand to his throat. She never lifted him or squeezed. This had just been another test.

Between labored breaths, he smiled at her but she didn't return it. He was breathing hard but she was surprised when she was breathing heavier than normal. Remembering the kick he had landed she berated herself for having let her guard down. Catching her breath, she said, "Sorry for letting you hit me. It won't happen again."

His smile transformed into a thin line. "That strike would have incapacitated almost anyone. You didn't let me do anything. I did."

She replayed the battle in her mind's eye. It was clear to her. "Sorry Foss, but I left myself open after my failed leg sweep. I could easily have caught or deflected your leg with my free hand but I didn't."

His iron exterior belied the adrenaline still coursing in him. "Why are we arguing? I landed the first kick in weeks even with the element of surprise, and you're telling me you allowed me to hit you?" His voice grew soft, "Would you allow a real opponent to potentially knock you out? Are you getting soft on me?"

Although his words were clearly meant to incite a reply, she said nothing. She felt terrible; last night had been so unexpected, and Declan had been so mean after her kiss had ended… Despite her strength, her training, tears threatened at the back of her eyelids.

She felt Foss's emotions change as she struggled with herself. She gasped a sob when he gave her a hug. It was a side of Foss she'd never imagined. He cared.

***

Kyle woke to strong feelings of sadness. Had he dreamed it? After several seconds the feelings persisted and he noted their source. Their connection was growing; he could see it posing a problem for Amanda. His brow furrowed as he pushed the feelings away. They lessened considerably and he sighed. Because it was still early – only 4:31 am – his eyes closed again.

Just before falling asleep to the smiling image of Amanda playing piano, he resolved to see Jessi at or after breakfast, or maybe he'd text her instead. He felt the piano's notes caress him and lull him to peaceful sleep.

***

"After I kissed him, he swore at me!"

"Tell me exactly what he said, Jessi." They sat on training mats, both nursing a coffee but neither really taking many sips.

She shared the bitter words exactly as they'd been shouted. Foss's expression never changed. She revisited her memory as she continued speaking in the present.

***

"I thought we were friends, why the hell did you kiss me like that?" Declan said, clearly furious.

The strong feeling of passion from Kyle was passing, subsiding into glowing embers. She could also feel fear. When she didn't answer right away, Declan growled in frustration. "You might not have realized this Jessi but I was following that girl out the door! We were going to have sex! Lots of sex!"

She'd opened her mouth to reply, to defend herself, but strangely felt powerless.

"Do you want to have sex with me too? That's what I want right now, not some innocent puppy love, or light grinding. I don't want a tease; I want release damn it!" He growled again and stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

***

When she finished retelling the scene Foss looked at her intensely. "Do you like him?"

She scoffed, "I don't care for him right now; I want to punch him."

"Well don't. You could easily kill him." She dismissed the obvious comment. He looked at her in a fatherly way, in a much friendlier way than Brian Taylor ever had. "Kyle would never understand."

The truth hurt, even if she'd already known it. If she did something drastic to any of their friends or family, she could easily envision Kyle holding her responsible for a very long time. He'd leave her alone, regardless of their emotional connection.

Foss interrupted her thoughts. "I don't understand why you kissed Declan. You knew he was leaving with her, what made you do it?"

She felt shy to admit this. "Kyle was feeling a strong surge of passion right at that time. I felt it, saw Declan, and," she stumbled with the words, "and, just had to kiss him. I couldn't help it."

Foss appeared concerned. "I know you can sense each other but since when do you feel each other's feelings?"

"I've felt his for a long time, but yesterday his emotions became very strong." She realized her error. "No, the first time I felt it was two nights ago – two nights ago he enhanced his sense of smell and has since been having a really tough time with it."

"Yes I know. Do you think your emotions go back to him?"

"I don't know, I guess they might."

"We need to know for sure Jessi." Foss stared at her.

She really didn't know but guessed that he might. But if it were the case, wouldn't he have been worried this morning by her breakdown? She was now sure. "No, he either doesn't feel my feelings at all or they're barely noticeable as mine." When Foss probed further, she added, "He would have been here by now if he had."

He nodded and seemed to pause. He pulled out his cell phone and looked briefly at the screen; he'd received a message. Some emotion flashed in his eyes as he read the message. He seemed careful not to allow her to see it. She understood his nature: a man of secrets. She didn't intrude.

He pocketed his phone and calmly suggested, "Could you break the connection?"

"What?" She had certainly heard him – her brain didn't allow her to be oblivious like most people could be, especially when troubled – but she could scarcely believe he'd even asked. It was like asking her to make the sky pink. She relished her connection to Kyle, it grounded her. It influenced her decisions, her behavior.

"Only until he controls his new ability. You can even tell him you'll do it beforehand so there won't be a surprise."

She overheard his phone receiving another message but he either didn't hear it or ignored it.

He got up and gave her his hand. "Think about it. Let's continue your training. Jump to the top of the wall and climb down – but your left leg is totally useless, you can't use it."

She smiled as she crouched and easily jumped to the top of the wall as instructed. This would be fun.


	8. Chapter 8

Amanda hadn't slept well. She remembered the dream vividly, of Charlie's betrayals, and then Kyle keeping the knowledge of those betrayals from her. She also remembered how angry and disappointed she'd been in Kyle for not telling her as soon as he'd known. Her ex-boyfriend was thankfully a distant, shameful memory. To think she'd considered giving herself to him, she shuddered at the thought.

She left the house just after seven in the morning, heading straight to Kyle's bedroom window. Kyle came out of the front door instead, chewing. After swallowing, he welcomed her.

"Great, I thought you might have gone for a run or something." She smiled to him.

He looked sheepish, "I went for a long run last night."

"Yeah, I guess you did huh." She smiled. Why did his mere presence affect her so much? She seemed to just want to hug and kiss him all the time. "I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Oh?" he said, sounding surprised. He took a single step forward then hesitated, "Why don't you come inside Amanda? I'm just finishing breakfast."

"Sure."

She sat next to him as he ate some fruit and a sandwich. He also had a large glass of milk. She marveled at how much he could eat and stay so slim, and strong. She swallowed, banishing that train of thought.

Between bites, he said, "I've been reading about dream interpretation. Tell me about your dream, I'll see if there's a meaning behind it."

She shook her head. "Kyle, I really don't believe in the interpretation of dreams. The people who do it are fakes, just in it for the money."

"Really?" He seemed surprised. He chewed a bite of apple. "I've had dreams where Adam explains problems to me or guides me in some subtle way to find solutions to things." After a little pause, he added, "He identifies himself as my subconscious, as part of me." He then appeared reluctant, "And I've had nightmares that seem to show very likely consequences to certain actions or situations."

It was her turn, "Really? Are all your dreams explainable this way?"

There was no hesitation. "No, not at all." He finished his sandwich. "Of the four books I've read so far, my dreams are almost all accounted for. However, the analysis presented in the books doesn't fit. For example, flying in a dream is supposed to mean 16 different things. And some books contradict others or present extremely specific circumstances. I'm going to need to read another dozen books at least."

She raised her eyebrows, "Flying. That's not exactly what you do right?"

He shook his head. "No. I use magnetic principles, usually involving water on the ground and the water in my body to float in the air. It's more like levitation, actually."

"I find that very cool." They smiled.

His smile changed just a little bit. "Would you like to tell me your dream or did you just change the subject?"

She was surprised by his directness, shocked even. She realized there would be little she could ever hide from him. She suddenly gasped. Her dream had been a message from her subconscious, she'd just never realized it until now! She knew that Kyle would value the truth, that she herself valued the truth, even if it would hurt in the short term. Just as she'd scolded Kyle about keeping hurtful secrets from her about Charlie, she was keeping secrets from him regarding her plans to make him less predictable, more – and yet less – human too. As she thought this she pictured her priest who'd she'd confided in when she'd been troubled over Kyle being a clone. She wasn't troubled any more.

She had to come clean, but that meant she had to get everyone else on the same page first. She wouldn't lie to him but she had to go home for a few minutes to cancel all her plans.

He was looking intently into her eyes and holding her shoulders, "Amanda, are you okay?"

Several seconds passed before she said, "Kyle, I need to –"

***

Amanda's heartbeat spiked when she must have realized the meaning of her dream. He was concerned for her but also happy that at least sometimes dreams could in fact be interpreted. It was clear there had to be some element of truth to the entire practice or it would have been abandoned long ago.

He held her shoulders and asked, "Amanda, are you okay?" He gazed at her and smelled a small wave of heat coming from her. It seemed to be something big, and yet her proximity made it difficult for him to concentrate. Even without taking a deep breath of her, he could feel his desire building, battling the concern.

"Kyle, I need to –" she started.

He moved forward suddenly, and kissed her. He'd made sure not to be too rough and bang teeth like two nights ago. As her arms came around him in the unexpected embrace, his senses exploded. The passion and desire were the strongest he'd ever felt before, and he smelled that she enjoyed it intensely too.

***

Jessi was on the climbing wall using only her arms to climb when she felt the surge of passion wash over her. She suddenly thought of Foss romantically, of kissing him, of holding him down and –

"No!" She yelled. She immediately pushed off the wall, landing on her feet with effortless grace. She stared at him, breathing much too heavily. He looked at her questioningly, angry.

"Why did you stop? You were doing great!"

As she took a few hesitant steps toward him, she thought furiously of non-romantic thoughts, trying to slow herself. She gritted her teeth. "Punch me!" At the back of her mind she thought her jerky movements made her look like a zombie from one of Josh's movies. She did nothing but grind her teeth shut.

"What?" His eyes narrowed as she advanced. She was losing her battle against the flood of emotion. It was such a wonderful feeling! How could she deny herself something that felt so good?

"Kick me or something," she yelled at him.

His confusion cleared and he complied. She merely side stepped his punch, ducked his kick, and after seven failed strikes, came face to face with him. She was breathing raggedly.

His eyes opened wide as he understood what was coming. He turned his head as far as it could go just before she forcibly kissed his cheek. The rough stubble dug into her lips but she didn't care. She vaguely noticed his eyes were closed when he yelled, bringing her to her senses. "Cut the damned connection!"

***

As the kiss continued, he found his hands were moving all over Amanda's back and that she gripped his neck fiercely. They were pressed together and it felt so good. He was losing his restraint, found that he really wanted to join the club as Josh had called it. Maybe Amanda wanted to continue?

He dismissed it and he reveled in their passion. He could barely contain himself but he had to for her.

Maybe he should run now? Or maybe Amanda wanted to go further, he thought again as another explosion rocked him, bringing him to his knees.

***

She felt flushed all over, her lips raw from their kisses when Kyle suddenly gasped and fell to his knees. He clutched at his abdomen, no, it was his chest. Her breathing was heavy but she felt a strong sense of dread. She bent over as he gasped repeatedly, seemingly unable to breathe.

"What's wrong Kyle?" Her training was kicking in. "Can you breathe?"

He didn't answer her immediately, which worried her more. A whispered response finally came as she urged him to lie down on the kitchen floor. "Hurts." Wild thoughts flew unbidden of something rupturing internally or an organ disintegrating under the duress of unspent male lust. She couldn't believe that could happen, could it? Surely she'd not let him get that excited right?

She saw his eyes flutter for a few seconds before thinking he might be going into shock. He was breathing very rapidly, a sure sign he didn't need CPR but that he might need professional help. There was no time for embarrassment. If she'd somehow hurt him, she'd own up to it to the doctors, even to her mother.

She reached into her pocket for her cell phone to dial emergency services when she remembered it was still in her bedroom. Anger flared as she envisioned seconds ticking, his life ebbing away. She took a step toward her house when she realized she could use the Trager's phone.

Before she even picked it up, Kyle catapulted to his feet, no longer clutching his chest but still breathing hard. "Amanda," he said with urgency.

She turned, happy to see him up. "Kyle, what happened?"

"I don't feel Jessi, I have to go see her right now." He took several long strides toward the front door.

She called to him and he stopped, looking at her. "Why? What's going on?"

"I can't explain it, one moment I felt her and now I don't. There has to be something wrong!"

"Kyle! You can't! You just had some sort of seizure or something!" She thought frantically. "Let me come with you at least!" She moved quickly toward him.

He was deadly serious, "That wasn't a seizure. I was examining my memory determining where she is." He turned his eyes down to his feet. "She needs me. I have to go."

With that he was gone. She tried yelling at him to stop, to at least slow down so she could keep up with him and she could help too. He was at the street corner and turned out of sight before she'd even crossed three lawns, and she wasn't that slow a runner. Tears surfaced as she wondered why Jessi was so important to him. She knew they were both clones, but they were so different. What cruel scientist would ever make them share such a spiritual bond!

What if Kyle found her and, unable to control himself, did it with Jessi?

She fell to her knees on the sidewalk. It didn't matter to her that she scraped them. Her heart breaking was much worse than that small physical ailment. She was unable to hold back the tears or the sobs.


	9. Chapter 9

He was running late because he'd played one last game of G-Force with Andy, since it was one of the only ways he could chat with her anymore. They had some good smack talk when they played; it was a lot more fun than their regular phone calls or e-mails. Those just reminded him she was far away and depressed him.

Josh hurried downstairs and into the hallway, jumping the last three steps and used his arm to spin around the corner without slowing down. He called out, "See ya Mom, be back after four," before remembering that she was gone to a conference for the next three days. His dad was already gone to work too. His shoes practically put themselves on his feet; he really shouldn't have played that extra deathmatch. He sighed. A quick glance at his watch showed him he had less than five minutes to get to the Rack. He knew he could make it.

He pulled out of the driveway with the intention of speeding through the side streets when he noticed Amanda on her knees on the sidewalk a few houses ahead, her head in her hands. His foot itched on the gas pedal. He obliged it, but only to stop beside her. Without turning off the engine, he got out of his car and came up right beside her. Because they both worked at the Rack, he felt he knew her pretty well. It certainly helped that Kyle was dating her and she lived next door too.

"Amanda, you ok?" He put a hand softly on her shoulder. Work could wait a few minutes for her.

She turned to him, tears streaking down her cheeks. Her appearance stunned him. Without a word she rose to her feet. Still looking into his eyes, she said, "Thanks Josh. Go to work, I'll be fine."

"What happened?" He wasn't leaving that easily. She didn't look fine to him.

After a deep breath, she said, fresh tears forming as she spoke, "Kyle. We were in the kitchen when he collapsed. It looked like a seizure. I was going to call 911 when he took off after Jessi." She brought her hands to her eyes, "He ran like a machine, I couldn't keep up."

He ignored her last sentence; she was talking about her pod boyfriend, his brother. She should know he was barely human. "Is she in trouble?" When her breath caught in her throat and she stared into his eyes, he could see how badly he'd handled it. He tried to recover, despite being concerned for his sister Jessi. "That's how Kyle runs, I used to think he was an alien!"

No smile appeared on her lips, or her eyes. She shouted, "Kyle was on the ground in pain, grabbing at his chest, hyperventilating! When I got him lying down, his eyes started fluttering; his eyes moving back and forth really fast, I thought he was dying!" Shock rooted him; he'd never seen her so angry or upset. His instinct was to calm her down, make her laugh, or give her a hug, but he just couldn't do or say anything. His mind was blank. "I took two steps to the phone and he was on his feet as though nothing happened. He started running after calling her name..." After several sobs, she fell against him and clutched his shoulders and continued to cry.

He didn't wonder why he'd stopped for Amanda and he never completely forgot about work either, but when he appeared at the Rack thirty-six minutes late with a thoroughly soaked shoulder and a dishevelled Amanda in tow, their boss didn't ask any questions. He was thankful, and angry at his brother.

***

The wind whipped his hair as he ran as fast as he could. What normally took him on average five minutes sixteen seconds he had run in four minutes, three seconds. He felt empty, a gaping hole where Jessi had been in his heart. The hole even seemed to grow whenever he looked at it, it hurt so much.

He threw the door open and ran in, all his senses alert for danger. He immediately smelled that both Foss and Jessi had been there only minutes before, and that they'd left in Foss's black SUV. He could smell the exhaust; it irritated his sensitive nose. Despite this, he took a deep breath, searching for clues. Why would they leave in such a hurry, and more importantly what happened to Jessi? His eyes darted to the climbing wall, where her smell lingered. Maybe she had fallen...

"No," he whispered aloud as he breathed in dust and metal and plastics. He walked toward the centre of the large room. He smelled them both here but knew the scents could be misleading. In an enclosed space, even a large one such as this, when the sliding door had been opened to leave with the SUV, air currents would have surely moved scents around. He couldn't only rely on scents alone.

Nevertheless, he thought he smelled passion, lust even. There was also clearly anger and frustration. He identified Foss and Jessi to both have felt the anger and frustration but wasn't completely certain of the passion. It seemed like it was Jessi but it was so primal, he couldn't believe it had been her.

He looked around. The floor was painted cement, kept meticulous by Foss. The large climbing wall was to the right, and several tables heavily laden with psychology and sociology books were in the far corner. His elaborate computer system was hooked up in an adjoining room, locked. The door hadn't been touched in hours either he could tell that with his enhanced vision. There was no point in forcing the door when clues pointed elsewhere. If only there were clues! Nothing seemed amiss; this place just didn't change that much. Unless Latnok was on the move again; maybe it wasn't passion he smelled but euphoria. Maybe they'd been discovered and they were chasing down the person who'd found them. That didn't really sit well either.

Growing restless, he focused inward, toward the gaping maw for answers. From every angle, he could sense Jessi there one moment, and gone the next. The cut was instantaneous, of that he was certain. Yes, he was absolutely certain. He was concerned that it continued to grow but he dismissed it. She had to have fallen from the wall or maybe during their training she'd lost consciousness...

No, he interrupted himself. Even asleep he felt her there. The same would apply even unconscious. Only dead – he couldn't finish the thought.

He growled at himself. He needed to find her! He knew that if she were close to death, Foss would have left with her immediately without regard to cleaning up whatever accident had happened. But there was nothing there! They rarely left in the SUV; he hadn't even been in it in over six months. He dismissed his own recollection of the exact elapsed time.

He checked the entire warehouse for any sign he'd overlooked. He felt powerless. In all he felt that he wasted 23 precious minutes to confirm what he'd noted with his senses of smell and sight in less than two.

He went back outside. If Jessi were seriously hurt he'd have been contacted wouldn't he? He pulled out his cell and berated himself for not thinking it sooner. He felt so empty he wasn't surprised he'd not been thinking straight. Instead of coming here he should have called him right away. He punched in the code that Foss and he had agreed on for emergencies.

When he saw Foss's reply more than five minutes later he'd been panicking for four and a half. All his feelings dispersed when he read it. Utter disbelief was the only thing that seemed to register. He was supposed to have received a call immediately, or a return text indicating receipt of the message. Instead, he got the answer to a question he'd not asked, without mentioning its lateness. Which meant what exactly? He felt so empty, so sluggish.

His cell almost slipped from his slackening grip. He recovered just in time. Although he perfectly remembered the words displayed, he looked again before running home. He didn't care that he took 49% more time than average. He didn't care at all.

***

He didn't even go home. He first stopped at Amanda's house. Just as he knocked the door, he realized she wasn't there. Mrs. Bloom was though. She looked surprised to see him.

"I thought Amanda was with you," she said as she opened the door. There was suspicion in her voice.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Bloom," he paused. "I just remembered where she is; she's at work," he lied. He really hated lying – one reason was because he wasn't that great at it unless it was absolutely necessary.

He knew she didn't believe him. "You left her somewhere did you? She better be at work!" Her mouth opened as she was about to start yelling. At the corner of his mind he noted she enjoyed yelling at him, making him miserable. Instead of confronting her or telling her the truth, he simply backed away.

"I have to go." He raced into his house.

***

Why did he lie to her, Jessi thought as she eavesdropped on the short conversation from within her room. Where would Amanda be if not with Kyle? They were practically attached at the hip lately. She gritted her teeth; it felt so foreign not sensing Kyle but it was a necessary evil. She nodded to herself; that was certainly a fitting description. She had to agree with Foss that this was the best course. She also didn't feel like mauling the nearest guy because of something Kyle was feeling – for Amanda! It wasn't only embarrassing, but what if it happened while she was near several guys? Would she attack them all with her affection? She certainly trusted Foss but had no romantic inclinations whatsoever! It was like kissing Josh or Stephen!

Her jaw hurt but she bore it proudly. She wasn't fully dressed yet from her shower but that didn't bother her. She turned her back to the door when she noticed Kyle was rapidly climbing the stairs to her bedroom.

It surprised her that he didn't knock but simply burst in. He didn't waste any time, "Jessi, it's so good to see –"

"You didn't knock Kyle, what if I'd been naked?" Without her connection she couldn't tell if he even noticed she was only half dressed. Continuing to clenching her teeth, she put on her bra. She put on a black top and turned to him. His mouth was open, like a slack-jawed yokel. A fleeting thought passed her mind regarding TV as being a good source of popular expressions. When he continued to stand there, with a half smile of relief and a severely furrowed brow she began to question if she'd really had to sever their connection.

Her weakness was only for the briefest moments. Yes, it had definitely been necessary. She saw him struggling with himself already, his sense of smell getting the better of him.

She took a step forward, "Kyle, snap out of it!" She crossed her arms but stood ready to keep away from him if necessary. She knew all too well what they were both capable of. Despite her training and being generally stronger and smarter, she knew that with the right triggers he could do some wonderful things, like restoring her life. She pushed the thought away – it brought painful memories.

"You're safe."

She pursed her lips, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I hear you, and smell you," even without the connection she could sense the struggle, "but I don't feel you." His eyes pleaded with her for a valid explanation.

She couldn't give him the truth. She turned and said, "I love Declan." They both knew it was a lie the moment it escaped her lips. "You chose Amanda, you shouldn't be worrying about me."

"But Jessi," he started.

"I promised I'd be your friend and I am not going to change that. You should leave, you're feeling things you'll regret." She could scarcely believe she'd said that – if only he'd picked her! The intensity of the feelings looping through her would have then been welcome with open arms.

But now she had to push him away. "Go Kyle," she urged, while taking a step away.

He took three steps back, she could picture him at the top of the stairs when he turned to her and asked, "Why?"

"A necessary evil. I have to be free." To choose another she thought glumly.


	10. Chapter 10

Declan walked into the Rack, smiling to himself. Realizing he'd been a little harsh to Jessi last night after she'd kissed him like a vixen, he was still taken aback that she still harbored feelings for him. It looked like Jessi was going to return to him and for that he was smiling from ear to ear.

Wouldn't anyone want a hot girl with near endless energy, remarkable in every way?

His train of thought was rudely interrupted when his eyes fell on Amanda slouched in a corner, her eyes red, her face streaked with old tears, and an unkempt appearance. It was so unlike her that he'd done a double take, and she'd noticed. He sighed at having been discovered but felt duty bound to help Kyle's girlfriend. Unless they were broken up again, he thought. He dismissed that idea, Jessi was clearly interested in him.

As he walked up to her lonely table, he saw Josh working behind the counter, his jaw clenching periodically. It didn't look like it had been a good morning so far, and it was only 9 am. Kyle was glaringly absent.

The old Declan used to prey on crying girls, to help them forget for a night whatever their troubles were. He could relate to them in that he had troubles too. They were different now of course, ever since he'd met Kyle and Jessi, and dated Trager, Lori he corrected himself.

He stood by her table, napkins were neatly placed in a couple piles, used and unused. "Amanda, what did Kyle do?"

Josh piped up from behind the counter, seeing that no one else was in the restaurant. "He abandoned her for Jessi."

Declan turned to Josh. "What do you mean?" He wasn't about to tell them about their kiss last night.

Josh waved him over when Amanda's cell rang. She got up and went to the ladies' room.

Josh filled him in with a quick whispering commentary. "Amanda and Kyle were making out when he fell in pain and he had a seizure from it. When she steps away he bounces to his feet and runs off after Jessi."

Declan was incredulous. What could make Kyle have a seizure? He'd never been sick in the two years he'd known him. He was stronger than any guy he knew. He had to start from the beginning. "You don't know how they were going at it? Did they have their clothes on?" Josh lightly slapped him on the shoulder.

"No way dude! I'd never ask Amanda that!" Josh might have been whispering, but he could hear him yelling in his tone.

"It doesn't make sense," said Declan. "Kyle wouldn't leave her unless someone was in trouble."

Josh seemed to soften a little bit. "True, but why would he fake a seizure of all things?"

Declan got angry, "Josh, we're talking about Kyle! There's no way he faked anything! He can barely lie without getting his conscience to admit it five minutes later."

Declan heard the bathroom door open and saw Josh's eyes dart in that direction. "I'll talk to her."

When he got near, he saw Amanda picking up the piles of napkins. She looked a lot better, though her eyes were really red. She said, "My mom's coming to pick me up." That meant he had very little time to get the information he needed.

"Amanda, something doesn't make sense, was there any warning or a sign that something was wrong?" It didn't come out quite right but he knew she understood.

She looked him in the eyes, a half smile on her lips, probably the first in a while. "When we were making out? No, everything was… great."

He dropped his gaze. "I don't want the details okay, but can you tell me what happened?"

She laughed. "You want to know? We were pressed together like sardines – with clothes on – kissing like we've never kissed before. I was losing control, wanted him to take it further." She stopped, sobered. "I'm glad he didn't."

He filled in the next step. "He fell to the ground, and had a seizure?" She nodded. "That's the part that I can't understand."

"Why not? He's human, isn't he? He can die, right?" She spat the words, it was so unlike her.

"Humor me." She tilted her head up at him, looking defiant. Declan had always thought Amanda to be demure, too sensitive or submissive for his taste, but this side of her surprised him. "Pretend you're him and do what he did?"

He really hadn't believed that she would do it, but he had to see it to believe it.

She fell to her knees grunting. "It hurts," she mumbled. "He was hyperventilating so I lay him down." She lay down on the tile floor and started fluttering her eyes and moving them right to left as best as she could. "He didn't say anything, just breathed really fast and moved his eyes a lot faster than I am right now." She picked herself up and smoothed her hair. "Happy?"

"Yeah," he said very slowly. He couldn't place exactly what was weird about that scene but he knew something was.

"I took a couple steps to get the phone when he jumped to his feet. I turned and looked at him and he said that he didn't feel Jessi, that he needed to find her," she paused struggling to keep herself together, "and ran off."

"Has Kyle returned yet?" They spotted Mrs. Bloom's car coming into the lot. Amanda took a few steps to the door.

"He doesn't know I was here," she said glumly.

"He hasn't called you?" This wasn't making sense unless there was a true emergency.

"I didn't have my cell on me when he left." She brightened a little then darkened right away. "Wouldn't he still try?" She opened the door and waved to her mom to hold just a moment. She turned to Josh, "Thanks for helping me Josh, I really needed someone; you're a great friend." Turning to Declan, "If you hear from him, let me know please." She gave him her number and stepped out the door.

They looked at each other. Josh stated the obvious, "I hope Jessi's all right."

Declan turned back to the window, thinking. As Mrs. Bloom drove off, Declan muttered, "That wasn't a seizure…"

Josh brightened as he recalled Kyle standing in the Rack with his eyes fluttering the day when his till had been missing 120 bucks. "He was checking his memory to find Jessi!"

Declan's stomach sank. Neither said a word. He figured both of them thought the same thing. If Kyle couldn't feel her with their connection, she could be dead.

Josh went to his cell, "I'll text her and Lori."

"I'll call Amanda." When he heard the automated message saying she was unavailable or not in service, he texted her instead. He hoped she would call soon, but if her phone was off, it was unlikely.

He called Kyle next and received the same automated message. Maybe they were already talking on the phone? He smiled at that, but texted him just in case. He needed to talk to him, see if anything was wrong.

***

He heard Mrs. Bloom's car coming into the driveway next door. He overheard Jessi outside the front door and say, "Hi Amanda, Kyle's inside."

He heard nothing from Amanda. He pictured Amanda being led by her mother into the house, where she'd be protected from him again. He looked inside again and noticed the hole had filled in somewhat, didn't seem quite as deep but it was still there and it bothered him greatly.

He'd tried calling her enough times he wanted to lose count but her phone never picked up, it was never busy, just rang and rang. He knew it wasn't in her room; he'd looked.

He'd texted her too, and e-mailed her, and even left her a note on her pillow. He'd felt brazen doing so after Mrs. Bloom had left, but he felt it necessary to explain. He knew she couldn't ignore the signs. Nevertheless, he felt horrible.

***

Amanda went to her bedroom. "I'll be right down mom," she called. If they were going out to eat and then watch a movie at the theatre, she had to freshen up, get a quick change of clothes. She realized it was her mom's way of ensuring she'd stay away from Kyle. She hoped her mom wouldn't lock her inside the house again.

Her bedroom door was ajar. She paused and thought that her mother had probably checked her room and forgot to close it completely. She put her hand against the wood and pushed it lightly and almost walked into the door. Confused, she pushed it with both hands. It opened difficultly.

She sighed when she squeezed into the opening she'd managed to make. She looked behind the door and could barely believe what she saw. It was clearly a gray tub made out of children's blocks but it was two feet across and almost as high. Worked into the side of the tub, in red was her name. She picked it up; it really wasn't that heavy, just awkwardly placed. On the other side in blue was his name. She began to wonder how he'd put it there when she saw her blinds drawn up and her window open by a mere crack.

"Of course," she muttered to herself. Not wanting to delay her mother though, she went to her closet and pulled out some clothes and went to her vanity to take her favorite brush. When she started to brush her hair she noticed the letter on her pillow.

"Amanda, we'll be late," she heard her mom from downstairs.

She didn't have time to read it just then and tears threatened to resurface. She didn't think she had that many tears left. It certainly seemed he felt really bad for leaving her when he did. It was also clear Jessi was safe and even appeared civil. On second thought, she'd been civil much of the time over the last month.

She didn't have time to call Kyle but she texted him instead. "Thanks for the tub," with a smiley face and a heart.

***

When Amanda and Mrs. Bloom left the house – in a hurry he thought – he was perplexed that she'd ignored the letter and the tub, unless of course she never went to her bedroom.

That had to be it. He stared at his cell for a few more minutes. Just as he was about to put it back into his pocket, he received a text.

"Thanks for teh tub," with a smiley face and a heart. He smiled from ear to ear, despite the misspelling.

And another, "Not to scale though," with a frowning face, and a spade. His smile vanished. Maybe she was just getting back at him for deserting her. Needing reassurance, he looked again inside himself and felt a lot lighter despite the recent message. He didn't feel Jessi but he felt cheerier than he had in hours. He got up and decided to eat.


	11. Chapter 11

His sense of smell was worse than ever. With every breath he could smell everyone's pheromones, their general moods, and whether a person was looking for a mate, ready to mate, or had recently mated and not showered.

The latter made his skin crawl. It brought to mind feral thoughts, he could barely think. He couldn't go to the Rack, or go to school, or go anywhere really. For safety he holed himself in his room behind several locks and heavy chains. His window was sealed and boarded up. He knew these precautions were only temporary. They all knew, but they had believed in him.

In the early morning hours, as he was eating breakfast – he could only stomach fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy had the smell of death – Lori blearily came into the kitchen, a torrid stench wafting over him. Like a bull he only saw her.

She was ovulating, ready to mate. If he mounted her right now offspring would surely result. The probability didn't even come to mind.

As he witnessed his dream self race toward Lori with a snarl, Kyle tried to close his eyes but knew he couldn't. It was his dream and for some twisted reason his mind wanted him to realize the consequences of not controlling his sense of smell.

It had been mercilessly quick but painful, he saw Lori bleeding and sobbing, huddled on the floor. She was a shadow of herself, broken but alive.

Futile as it was, he tried ending the nightmare before it got worse.

Jessi appeared at the front door, the world's guardian against a most terrible predator. The gaping hole that had once been their mutual connection had become a black hole, a place where light and love could not enter, and also could not leave.

He had once loved her, and Amanda too, but now nothing could touch him.

He heard her heart beating, her soothing voice, "Kyle." He smelled her fear.

And so he raced toward her, lopping off her head with his outstretched fingers. He could feel his dream self revel in the blood. He was disgusted, repulsed.

Over days, weeks, and months, he watched as the bodies mounted. The FBI, SWAT teams, even the most elite mercenaries could not catch him unawares. He could see further than an eagle, smell better than any dog, hear better than anything alive. Nightly he would raid villages and cities to mate with numerous ovulating women, and kill all the men he encountered and all women who tried to stop him.

A legend would be born, a legend of the first immortal, vampire or devil it really didn't matter.

The nightmare continued for what seemed like hours, but thankfully he'd detached himself sufficiently to watch it like a really bad horror movie. It ended with a tactical nuclear strike on New York City. He saw the missiles landing simultaneously in all eight major cardinal directions.

He was at the center, laughing.

***

He slowly opened his eyes as the nukes struck. Finally, the horror had relinquished its hold on hm. He took a deep breath, and noticed Jessi beside him on the floor, leaning against the tub, her hand on the nape of his neck. He still felt the absence of their connection, but it seemed much lessened. Contrary to his dream, it seemed as though there was joy there nonetheless.

He smiled to her, but knew she'd done it for him as a friend, as he would have wanted.

He got out of the tub, dressed, and with a smile picked her up and gently placed her into the tub in his place. Carefully closing the door to his room, he went to the kitchen, had a quick breakfast, and went for a run.

***

She could barely contain her joy at the contents of the letter that Kyle had left on her pillow. She'd barely even slept! Before the sun even truly rose above the houses across the street, she raced to his bedroom window, a tremendous smile on her face and in her heart.

Having anticipated he'd hear her and open the window in advance, she waited for several moments before she decided to knock.

Her knuckles never touched the glass of Kyle's bedroom window that day.

She didn't think she ever would again.


	12. Chapter 12

On the tail end of his five mile run, Kyle felt great. The sun had just started to rise and the nightmare was a distant memory. Slowing his pace, he walked and opened the door to the warehouse for a training session with Foss. Foss was waiting for him in the middle of the large room.

He took a deep breath and found the smells familiar and oddly comforting.

Foss, never one to delay, said, "So how's your sense of smell?"

Kyle noticed his eyes were even more intense than usual. He smelled carefully hidden anger; he suspected Foss was almost always angry about something. Suddenly surprised he took another deep breath. He could smell Foss and his anger, but they didn't affect him! He could smell rat poison in the south-east corner of the building, an open cup of bleach inside Foss's office and a slice of fresh banana bread at the top of the climbing wall.

Without answering Foss, he ran and jumped half-way up the wall and hopped to the top in a matter of seconds. Grabbing the lightly buttered slice of banana bread, he took another breath before chomping down on a big portion. After he swallowed, "It's great!" Today was going great! As he polished off the slice, chewing it, savoring it with his enhanced senses, he realized there was too much sugar. He certainly didn't need piles of it to taste it!

He walked to the edge and jumped to the ground, landing with a cat's grace. There's a cup of bleach –" He faltered, took a few steps, and nearly fell to his knees. The gaping hole had suddenly returned, bigger than ever.

Foss was beside him in a matter of moments. "What's wrong?"

Shivers ran down his spine as he remembered his nightmare. It was nothing quite like that of course, but he'd thought he'd adjusted to the absence of his connection with Jessi. As his mentor ever since Adam had passed, Kyle trusted Foss implicitly. "It feels like physical pain, sadness, and anger in the lower part of my chest." When Foss didn't immediately reply, he continued, "It's lower than my heart, near the diaphragm."

"You've checked there's nothing physically wrong with you?" Foss seemed ever the practical type.

"Absolutely. There's no organ there and the tissue, blood vessels, muscles," he paused, thinking of a better way to summarize it, "everything's normal."

Silence surrounded them for a few seconds, though Kyle could feel Foss's concern behind the veiled anger. "Wait!" Foss exclaimed. "You know about the digestive system's nervous system?"

"Not a whole lot; only what the encyclopedia mentioned of it." He could however reason where Foss was going. "You don't mean that the secondary nervous system is developing feelings and that I'm feeling them?"

Surprise didn't register on Foss, whether by smell or on his face. Kyle admired how he could control himself at all times. It was likely the heavy military training he'd undertaken. "Do you have a better idea," asked Foss.

Kyle sat down on the concrete floor, ignoring its cool touch. He tried to probe into his chest cavity for any sign that something was wrong, or worse, that another of his body's systems was becoming enhanced with unforeseen complications. Try as he might, he couldn't focus on nerves specifically because they were too small. Perhaps that would have to be the next step, his next project, instead of focusing on touch. He held back a smile as he admitted to himself he'd been wary of enhancing his sense of touch. He could see dozens of pitfalls there, all of them worse than what his sense of smell had done to him thus far.

After another minute, he sighed and said, "Sorry I can't sense nerve endings."

"Yet." Foss looked into his eyes. "I didn't think you'd be able to smell the banana bread."

"Or the bleach in your office or the rat poison in the corner?" Kyle added with a smile, pointing.

Finally a small smile appeared on Foss's face. It promptly vanished as he turned serious. The anger seemed to edge closer to the forefront of his senses. "I forced Jessi to cut the connection."

Kyle's brow furrowed. He'd guessed as much. "Why?"

"It was necessary; she was dependent on whatever sensations you two share through it."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

Foss's eyes narrowed. "Don't you feel each other's emotions or something?"

"No, not normally…" He found it wasn't true at all. He now thought he knew why it had been done. The primal desire he'd smelled at the warehouse had belonged to Jessi – and it had been because of his passionate embrace with Amanda. No wonder they'd made the decision! He was just happy that she'd been able to sever it.

Kyle started anew, "What if what I'm feeling are her raw emotions, from another part of our connection?"

Foss followed his train of thought. "She cut only one side of it? She can't feel you but you can feel her?" He paused. "That makes sense." The anger seemed to draw back again. Kyle wouldn't ask why; besides, he had a good idea what the answer was.

It was only then Kyle realized he had slept beside Jessi and not been crazed by her scent. Probably his nightmare was the reason: he often needed emotional triggers to perform the feats he wouldn't be able to do otherwise. His nightmare had been one long emotional trigger; his mind had forced him to watch the horrific mess to make him focus on filtering his sense of smell.

That was something he could live with.

As they stood to start his training for the morning, he feigned a casual tone – it sounded so fake to him – and said, "Psychology and Sociology books?"

Foss, as always, replied instantly. "Jessi's training."

Foss's fist came flying toward his face. He hadn't expected the change. Without thinking he gracefully avoided the strike by a quarter inch and had his own fist in Foss's face before he'd even had the chance to strike again. His other hand had immobilized Foss's other arm and his legs prevented Foss from having a reasonable chance to attack with a kick.

Foss 's shoulders relaxed. "You win."

***

Jessi's eyes opened. For the briefest moment she wondered why she wasn't in her room but she then remembered she'd woken up when she'd heard him moan in his sleep. Knowing he was having another nightmare, she'd gone down and attempted to bring him out. His mind had refused to let her in, but she had remained and had fallen asleep beside his tub, on the floor. His nightmares were infrequent at best but when he had them they were almost always intense. And prolonged.

The fact she woke in his tub didn't surprise her. While she didn't find the tub quite as comfortable as Kyle did but it certainly made her feel safe.

She could stop her nightmares without difficulty, force her mind to change the direction of the dream if she didn't like it. When she was having a particularly bad day, she often went to sleep early to experience a dream that would make her feel better.

She idly wondered why Kyle couldn't do the same. She assumed he could, maybe it was due to the difference in their personalities. She was aggressive and he was passive. She demanded control while he controlled only himself.

Noticing the sheer garment she was wearing, she suddenly became self conscious. She listened intently and marked the locations of family members. The risk of getting caught barely dressed in Kyle's room made her smile. She felt the adrenaline kick in as she carefully opened Kyle's bedroom door. She waited several moments then bolted down the hall and up the stairs to her bedroom in mere seconds.

With the door firmly closed behind her she reveled in the joy she felt. Considering everyone had been awake, it had been a thrilling few seconds. She sobered a few minutes later, after she had dressed. It still felt so strange not feeling Kyle inside her.

"Declan," she whispered to no one in particular.


	13. Chapter 13

Sitting at the Rack nursing a strawberry kiwi smoothie, Amanda focused her rage. Just because of his stupid nose he'd slept with Jessi the night he'd declared his undying love for her in a romantic Shakespearean sonnet! She was beyond tears, grief, or even sadness. There'd be no piles of napkins today!

It was just like Jessi to trap him, ensnare him with her venomous charm and pluck his sweet innocence. Until this morning she'd learned that she loved Kyle's innocence, his naiveté. Despite the potential hardships presented by Latnok, she was resolved not to change his fundamental nature.

The train of thought reminded her she still needed to call Lori and Hillary to call things off.

Declan walked in to the Rack, seemingly avoiding her. He walked to the counter and ordered a drink from the new employee, Rachel. It took several minutes but when he turned toward the front door, she called to him. He appeared to be a little surprised to see her, which she took as a good sign. He hadn't ignored her from the outset.

Concern etched itself over his eyes. He hesitated slightly, "How are you feeling Amanda?"

She could be civil when necessary. "All right. Kyle explained everything yesterday."

He narrowed his eyes and looked at her closely. "Um, ok, I guess there's nothing else then." He turned to walk away.

"Wait!" She stood, perplexed. Declan was often confident and he was being much too careful with her. "Do you know already?"

"Know what?" He seemed much too innocent.

"Know about Jessi?"

"What about her," he asked, advancing.

"She slept with Kyle this morning in his tub," she said with finality.

"What?" He huffed and looked to the right. "No way!"

"Why not? She's wanted him ever since…" She let herself trail off. She'd been ready to lash out but Declan was innocent in this.

"Go on!" When she didn't, he added, "Ever since she dumped me!" She blushed as he turned on her, "And why do you think she slept with him? She was with me until midnight last night."

There was no way that was a mistake. Jessi had been barely dressed, sleeping in Kyle's tub with a huge grin on her face. There could be no other explanation. She couldn't bring herself to speak and kept her eyes down.

His next words were much softer. "We're dating again. We're taking it slow, but we're together."

"When?" she asked, refusing to be hopeful.

"Two nights ago, after you left here to find Kyle I think. She came out of nowhere and attacked me with her lips." He was close to blushing. "Uh, I mean, she kissed me." He turned to her once more. "Why would you think they slept together?"

The truth seemed best. "Sit, it'll take a bit." By the time she was done telling him about Kyle's sense of smell going crazy, she'd also implied that she'd been going crazy for Kyle, and had even mentioned her initial plan to corrupt him with Lori and Hillary's help. He stayed mostly quiet, but was clearly perturbed by Jessi sleeping in Kyle's tub wearing next to nothing.

In all that time he'd polished off his smoothie and was playing with his straw, swirling it around the dregs at the bottom of his glass. He didn't appear overly confident anymore. For that, Amanda felt bad. "We watched a movie at my place last night; I can't see why she'd do that. But," he added after a few moments, "it's pretty hard to explain."

He got up again, somberly thanking her, "Well, I'll see you around. I'm late now, but I was going to see her at home right now. I'll text you her answer." With that he left.

Just as he was at the door, he added, "You shouldn't leave your phone off when you give a friend your phone number. Couldn't reach you all day yesterday." He closed the door behind him.

Amanda pulled out her cell phone and looked at her inbox. It was empty.

She thumbed the send / receive icon in the corner. Sure enough, she could see her phone working to receive seven texts, all from Declan. As she scanned them all, she found it strange that she'd had to click that button. She'd never had to before.

She waited for Declan to text her before she fully released her anger. Having experienced Jessi's meddlesome ways several times before, she needed proof, and would use Declan's interest in Jessi to make her less angry at Kyle. It wouldn't exonerate him by any means. He couldn't have any other girl sleep in her tub. The minutes ticked by very slowly.

Just in case, she clicked on send/receive every minute.

***

When Jessi opened the door to the Rack, she scanned the sparse crowd. She recognized Amanda but no one else specifically. She'd been hoping to see Declan. Trying to be the model neighbor, she went up to her table.

"Hi Amanda," she said as Amanda stood, smiling, to greet her. In retrospect she'd said it perhaps a little too cheerfully, but then she'd never thought Amanda's fist would ever connect with her jaw. Amanda dropped her cell as she jumped on her, trying to scratch and pull her hair, shrieking.

A string of obscenities flew out of Amanda's mouth, making Jessi wonder why she was being attacked, and by whom. Amanda, while clinging to her, was no longer landing any blows but Jessi couldn't really justify flinging her against the opposite wall as a viable option.

People surrounded them, yelling "Cat fight!" and cheering in general. Even the new employee Rachel was smiling, enjoying the fight. Not that she would have called it that, except perhaps for that first punch. It was more, "Try not to hurt Kyle's girlfriend who's gone totally nuts." She ripped Amanda off her, and although Amanda continued to do her worst, put her down, deflecting every blow coming her way.

"Amanda, that's enough!" she spat. When Amanda didn't stop immediately, she brought her hand to her throat but made sure not to squeeze at all. "Stop!" The fury in Amanda's eyes didn't diminish at all but she complied. Glancing around, Jessi announced, "The cat fight's over everyone, I'd like to speak privately with my neighbor now, please." Her tone challenged everyone – they too could be held by the throat if they remained. Most left the Rack with their drinks. The remainder went to the furthest tables. Even the employee on duty was looking down, trying to look insignificant.

Satisfied, she released Amanda. "What did you do that for?"

***

Declan drove into the Rack's parking lot. He noticed three cars leaving hurriedly and a couple talking animatedly about a cat fight before they got into their car.

He ran to the front door and barged in, only to see Jessi and Amanda standing toe to toe. Amanda refused to listen despite Jessi's repeated attempts to explain her actions. He was intrigued at what actually took place.

Amanda and Jessi both saw him at the same time. "Declan!" they both cried. It was nice to be needed he guessed, but he knew this would be dangerous ground.

Reluctantly he took charge. "Ladies, to your corners please." When neither moved, he said it differently, "Girls, please sit down," indicating chairs that were several feet apart. He took a chair between them and sat down himself. Looking from one to the other, "Who wants to start?" He couldn't be seen favoring one over the other, even if one was his girlfriend.

Jessi was the first to speak, "Declan, I think we should have this conversation in your car."

Amanda followed it up, "You don't want to be known as a slut do you?" She practically yelled the nasty word, Declan was beside himself.

"How could I be labeled a slut if I've never had sex Amanda?"

"That's not what Declan told me all of five minutes ago!" Fire danced in her eyes.

Jessi turned on him, "You what?" She almost stood but he put his hand up.

"I didn't Jessi." Turning to Amanda, "I told you that we were dating but I never –"

Amanda interrupted him, "You texted me they did it!"

"No I didn't!" Amanda was really going crazy, she wasn't making sense. Pulling out his cell he pulled up the text he had sent her. It took more than half a minute but he did it in plain sight of both of them. "They're not here," he read, "coming back." He even showed it to her.

Amanda got up and grabbed her cell from the floor. She growled and shook it, repeatedly clicking the send/receive button. It took nearly a minute before her phone displayed the message. Her eyes opened wide as she read his text. "But I swear, just before you came in Jessi, I saw a text that said you did it last night." Some of the fire seemed to drain out of her.

Jessi's eyes opened wide, "You saw me in his bed this morning!" At the last moment she changed tub to bed.

"A ha! Would you think otherwise if you saw the same with Declan and another girl?"

"But nothing happened!" She spoke much closer to a whisper, "He had a nightmare almost all night; I tried to comfort him."

Declan interrupted Amanda, "By sleeping beside him?" He didn't know what to think? The pod children were definitely special but they sometimes behaved very strangely.

Amanda accused in a near whisper, "And you practically had nothing on!"

"I did nothing!" Jessi yelled, "We did nothing!" She looked affronted, totally shocked, "Not even a kiss, nothing!"

She got up and stormed off. Declan watched her go. Amanda whispered beside him, "I saw a text from you that said 'Yes they did.' I swear it."

"What happened," he mumbled the question mostly to himself.

"I punched her," she said.

He shook his head, speechless. After almost a minute, he turned to her, "It landed?"

"Her jaw, yeah." She paused, looking at her hand. "My fist hurts."

"Probably more than her jaw, yeah." He paused, "I don't recommend you try that again."

"I know," she sighed. "I know."

***

Fearing her cell wasn't working properly – Amanda really couldn't believe she'd dreamed up that text earlier – she turned it off and went home. Although she'd planned to wait until Lori and Hillary were done, she felt she had to do something, anything to stay sane.

She felt really bad, even though Declan was probably right. Other than for that first punch, she'd felt that Jessi had controlled the entire fight, easily controlled it. It scared her; she'd definitely need to go to confession. It was so unlike her to feel so much anger, so much hate. And yet despite all this, she still felt compelled to give Kyle a stern lecture that the tub was only for them, wallow central, and that no girl other than her should ever be able to sleep in it.

That thought actually brought a smile to her face. Who would have ever thought she'd ever want to sleep in a tub?

The smile was short lived however. Remembering the smile she'd had when she punched Jessi – and Jessi's surprised expression at that punch – she wondered if she was going mad. She'd always been so calm, so controlled, so even tempered. Now it seemed as though she was only living at the extremes of emotion, terrible sadness, tearful joy, and anger that led to her punching people!

If her mother ever heard about this, she'd be grounded for months and probably end up in a boarding school for the rest of summer. Forget that, her mother could never learn of this.

***

Hillary's cell vibrated in her pocket. Though they were watching the final minutes of a sappy chick flick, she excused herself from Lori to look at her phone. There was a transcription of the voice mail that had just been left. Scanning it quickly, she almost burst out laughing. She bit back the urge as hard as she could. Lori didn't even notice.

In her hand her phone vibrated again as another voice mail transcription came on screen. This one was predictably from the crazy girlfriend herself, Amanda.

She sat back down and watched the final five minutes of the movie. It had been much too predictable, though Lori was sniffling. She'd sniffled too, for appearances. As the credits began to roll, she turned to Lori and said, "Amanda's coming over. Rumor is Amanda had a cat fight with Jessi!" She watched Lori's face intently for a response. She smiled broadly as Lori's mouth opened wide as did her eyes. She squealed in true Hils fashion, "We can get the scoop straight from the horse's mouth!"

***

Hillary lived two streets over so Amanda decided to walk. She was beginning to question her sanity. She hoped Lori and Hillary would help ground her. The last thing she wanted right now was to see Jessi or Kyle. She berated herself audibly, "Get a grip Amanda, calm down!"

She took deep breaths as she walked. Fists at her sides, she purposefully ignored everything else around her.

***

There was no doubt in his mind, he had to call Kyle and tell him, not only as his friend, but as his protector, his comrade at arms. He'd risked a great relationship with Lori for Kyle. He'd even risk Jessi. Without Kyle he likely would have gone down a very destructive path in life. He owed him.

He sighed as Kyle's voice mail came on for the third time. "Third time's a charm," he muttered to himself before the beep sounded. "Kyle, I wanted to tell you this in person but you're not answering." He sighed, it had to be done. He continued with the voice mail.

***

Lori didn't know what to think. Amanda looked shaken, her hands tense, clenching periodically. Even though she'd hugged her once, she felt like hugging her again. Amanda, looking around at the expensive furnishings, stood at the centre of the living room, confused.

Lori thought of many things to say but they all sounded trite. Amanda appeared like she was struggling more than she ever had. Hillary came to the rescue, "Amanda, cupcake, please sit down. Relax, you don't have to tell us anything, but if you want to let it out, we're all ears."

She noticed Amanda glance her way. Their eyes met and they shared an understanding without exchanging a single word. Hillary didn't know the truth about Kyle or Jessi. As good a person as Hillary was, Lori feared that if Hillary ever knew, the tabloids would be all over them in a matter of hours. It'd be a circus.

Amanda sat and fidgeted slightly. She pulled at the bottom of her shirt, trying to straighten it.

Hillary put her hand on Amanda's shoulder. "Would you like a drink? Water, cream soda, vodka?" She added the last option after a brief pause.

After Amanda picked cream soda and Hillary left the room humming loudly, Amanda turned to her and whispered, "I'm going crazy." Lori urged her to explain and so she did. Her tone was lucid and even, she sounded calm enough despite her frenzied appearance. She didn't sound crazy to her. Oh no, she was. Seeing a hallucination was a definite sign of going crazy. And so was punching Jessi, who showed admirable restraint in not snapping Amanda in two.

Amanda finished her tale, every few moments looking for Hillary to return. "That's pretty much it I guess." Lori couldn't help but give her another hug.

Hillary yelled, "Anyone want brownies?"

Lori released Amanda then yelled back, "Bring'em on!" Hillary's brownies were the best.

***

Amanda felt a lot calmer. "These brownies are terrific Hillary," she said, after biting into her third piece. She'd finished her cream soda and was now drinking water. Poor combination she guessed, but the brownies were already so rich.

Hillary was all smiles. "Thanks! I'd make them more often but I wouldn't look as fabulous if I ate them all." Amanda rolled her eyes and noticed Lori do the same. "That's why I have friends over to eat them!" Hillary finished with a giggle.

She turned serious, "Spill the beans cupcake." When Amanda shared a glance with Lori, Hillary added, "When I was making the brownies I knew you'd be talking to Lori, so spill it girl, I want to hear it too."

She couldn't deny it. For Hillary's benefit she shared the fact she'd punched Jessi and the basic reason behind it but little else. She also mentioned Declan mediating over their dispute, and when Jessi had left in a huff, how she'd talked to Declan about everything, including their initial plans for Kyle.

Lori yelled, "What?" She looked up to the ceiling with her mouth hanging open. "Declan is closer to Kyle than to anyone else," she stressed her statements with aggressive hand movements. "He's going to tell him everything; our plans will be not only ruined but Kyle will be angry with all of us!"

Hillary added, "And you have to live with him!" She smiled when she turned to Amanda, "You only have to kiss him!" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Tell me cupcake, is he a good kisser? I bet he's a quick learner huh?"

Lori fended Hillary off. "Not now Hils! We have to make it look like Declan got it wrong, that he inferred too much from something you said."

Hillary piped up, "Ooh, Plan D, D for Denial!"

Lori said, "We never implemented Plan C."

Amanda replied, "I'm calling it all off. I'll tell him myself what we planned but that it was all my idea and why." To Lori, "He won't be angry with you."

"Only with you," Lori said.

Hillary seemed to turn serious again. "Maybe you should go home now and tell him." Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she fished it out, glancing at the message before closing it with a snap. Her face didn't betray anything.

Amanda dreaded going home. It was only just after two, but she felt she needed to stay with Hillary and her infectious mood. It was so childish sometimes but it really helped her. It also helped that her mother wasn't going to be back home until 9pm. Impulsively, she said to Hillary, "Do you want to go to the mall?"

"I love the mall!" squealed Hillary. "We'll shop till we have blisters on our feet! We'll need pedicures!" She grabbed her purse which had been hanging on a hook by the front door. "Let's go now! The pedicure's on me."

Amanda had known that Hillary would react strongly to the mall but it still surprised her. "Let me freshen up first," she said, getting up. Realizing she'd never been inside Hillary's house before, she inquired about the bathroom.

***

Amanda thought to herself, "This is a really nice house." The bathroom itself was at least three times the size of hers. She fixed up her eyes and her hair in front of the largest and brightest mirror she'd ever seen before taking another calming breath. It had been a great idea to come here. Hillary was just the type of bubbly personality she needed to forget her troubles. She held no illusion that they wouldn't resurface, but at least she would handle them on her terms, not theirs.

Satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door only to find Lori about to knock. She looked serious. Her own smile vanished and the concoction in her stomach seemed to boil when Lori pushed her back into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Jessi and Declan are here."

Amanda smiled despite how she felt. It would be on their terms after all.

"So be it." She opened the door and pulled Lori along with her.


	14. Chapter 14

She hated feeling weak. Because she couldn't face them and their judgment, she'd run away. From her psychology and sociology training with Foss, she separated an objective Jessi from the turmoil she felt inside which she dubbed troubled Jessi. She role-played pleasantries in her head until she got to the important part, the point in time when she'd had to run. While she ran on a familiar trail in the forest, she revisited Amanda's and Declan's feelings before she'd left. She was able to revisit memories without halting, though she had to slow considerably first.

She realized that Declan was confused, hurt, but also doubtful. Amanda on the hand radiated pure rage. It was like nothing else had been in there at the time. Sure Amanda had never really liked her much, and considering the little love triangle they'd had prior to her pursuing Declan again, she knew she'd be angry if she were in her shoes. She dreaded what she could do if she ever felt the rage Amanda had just then.

Despite this, she'd never envisioned Amanda punching her! She was always ready around Foss and so he rarely surprised her anymore. It drove home the idea she had to be ready for anything with anyone. Anyone could be Latnok, well, not Kyle and any of their family of course, but just about anyone else could. With their resources, they could buy the loyalty of pretty much anyone.

It was a sobering thought, to say the least. She stopped jogging and leaned against a large tree.

She replayed once more the conversation as it had taken place, focusing solely on Amanda. There it was! She believed 100% that she'd seen the text that Declan never sent. Could she actually be delusional? Was the regular human mind capable of snapping in a single moment? What could cause that snap? It surely would have to be a jarring, emotional if not traumatic event.

What could possibly be traumatic in their lives? There was certainly drama but trauma?

Was it possible that the text had existed? She looked around in her memories at all the people in the Rack, and figured it was possible that one of the patrons who'd gathered around them during the fight could have been responsible for the text. She looked at each intensely, and tried to feel their emotions but other than the sadistic pleasure of seeing others beating on each other – not that there really had been any in this instance – she couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

She was now certain Amanda wouldn't have tried to punch her unless that text existed. Following that thought but also intentionally forgetting its source, someone was attacking Amanda again, and this time, her sanity was at stake. It could only be one organization with the resources to mess with Amanda's phone: Latnok.

If that was the case, she had to protect her for Kyle. Would she let her was an altogether different question. Despite the concern she felt for Kyle – and even Amanda she admitted – she felt a smile creep onto her face. She loved a challenge.

An unwelcome thought intruded. If Amanda was truly crazy, if she had somehow between yesterday and today, likely this morning when she'd discovered her in Kyle's tub, become a schizophrenic, she knew Kyle would forever be Amanda's, simply out of concern for her.

The smile vanished much faster than it had appeared on her face. If that were somehow true, she'd just have to cure her. The objective Jessi decided that Amanda had a 90% chance of being sane. Troubled Jessi found 10% to be too great a risk.

Finished with the analysis, she began to run to Amanda's house.

When she stopped in front of Amanda's house, no one was home. She pondered her next move. She called Kyle's cell and left him a detailed voice mail. She knew he'd be busy training with Foss and didn't think it strange that he didn't answer. Especially if Foss was helping him to control that sense of smell, he'd need all of his concentration and would certainly require his calls go directly to voice mail.

She briefly considered leaving the same message for Foss but was interrupted when she saw Declan's car appear down the street. She steeled herself for several moments until she remembered Foss. With a deep breath, she calmed herself. Even angry or hurt, people could often be reasoned with: reason first, defend second, fight last. She realized the instructions were tailored to her specifically. They were a good way of offsetting her instinct to lash out, to shoot first and ask questions later. She chuckled at the common TV reference.

***

He wanted to stay cool; he wouldn't attack her; he'd try to believe her. He knew very well how volatile Jessi could be. When he got out of his car, she was looking at him with a little smile, her arms open. Maybe it would be easy after all, he thought. He opened his arms as well and they walked into each other's arms.

They were nose to nose. Jessi said, "I have to find Amanda."

Regardless of his proximity to her lips, he frowned. He was reluctant to say anything.

She looked into his eyes, searching, probing. He imagined her scraping at his exterior, getting to the soft flesh beneath, like a hunter plucking a rabbit. There were definite disadvantages to being romantically involved with a pod child. There were no secrets.

She said, "I cheated."

Having said it with such a straight face, he tried to pull away. How could she betray him so easily? She smiled when he found he couldn't move. "Silly!" He pictured for a moment her head-butting him, leaving him dead on the sidewalk beside his car, despite the sweet smile.

His eyes went wide when she kissed him, full on the mouth. It was a long, tender kiss, one meant to reassure, to reaffirm her feelings. It certainly confused him. Could he accept being second? No, not likely, even with her charm, with the things she surely could do.

His mind reeling, she withdrew. "Basketball, silly," she whispered. "You should have lost by six points. I cheated."

He was incredulous. "What?" He practically yelled.

She kissed him again, shorter this time, but she held him firmly in place. He stopped struggling. She said, "I moved the ball to make me win." Her smile disappeared, her mouth became serious. "I'm sorry I made you feel bad."

It was his turn to smile, "I won't ever be able to hide anything from you, will I? Do you read my mind too? What am I thinking?"

She smiled, loosened her grip, letting him go if he wanted. "I always know what you're thinking, but reading your mind is not one of my talents." She emphasized always in a way that made him know that she knew precisely what he'd been thinking.

He felt sheepish and withdrew. "So why tell me now?"

"I needed to come clean. I slept in Kyle's tub this morning, but only out of concern for him. He had a nightmare almost all night long, and I eventually fell asleep beside him on the floor. When he woke he must have put me inside it but I don't remember that."

She'd kept her eyes on his the whole time. When she stopped talking, she let him think in silence, withdrawing just a little but keeping contact. He knew she could lie to him convincingly if she chose to; there was little she couldn't do. She could even lie to Kyle. He'd have to take her at her word; he pushed away a thought that had been surfacing about double-checking her story with Kyle.

He kissed her briefly. "Okay, I'll accept that." He stopped, collecting his thoughts. "Would you mind being having more clothes on next time? And if at all possible, not sleeping in his tub?"

She smirked at him, "That would help your male ego would it?"

Another sheepish smile, "Yes."

"I'll try. Even I don't always think straight when I'm sleepy, but I'll try."

With that put aside, he asked, "So, why do you want to find Amanda?" To beat her up, he almost added.

"Not to punch her that's for sure!" She laughed. His smile vanished. It was almost like she'd read his mind. It scared him somewhat. Looking at him, she said, "What?" She let go of him completely, and repeated herself, this time louder.

"You didn't read my mind?"

"No I didn't!" She lowered her tone, "It was a pretty obvious course of action. I thought you'd find it funny."

She looked only mildly hurt. She was really understanding and patient; this side of her seemed new and refreshing actually. Being with someone who only burned hot and cold didn't lead to long relationships; he was surprised when he thought about a long term relationship with Jessi. He'd have to weigh that option too, but for now he'd take it one day at a time.

"Seriously, why do you want to see Amanda?"

She hesitated, which only served to pique his interest. "I don't think Amanda's crazy."

"She sounded like it to me, though normally I'd agree," he said. "Why?"

She seemed to hesitate once more. She moved closer and whispered in his ear. He willed her to breathe into his ear, or nibble it or something. That kind of thing drove him nuts. When she merely spoke, he concluded she couldn't read his thoughts. The one word she said though brought his attention back to reality.

When he pulled away, she whispered, "Whisper." She offered her ear.

He smiled; this was something he could play with. "You think they're back?" As he asked her his question, she gripped his shoulders and pretended to enjoy it. She was making it look like they were making out in the street! How novel! It didn't matter to him if she was pretending, maybe he could convince her to go inside the house afterward…

Her lips accidentally touched his ear and triggered a shiver down his spine. He didn't have to pretend. "I think they hacked into her phone. Someone at the Rack heard you talking with her, then leaving, and assuming you wouldn't come back, sent her the fake text when they learned I was coming."

He practically moaned, "Don't stop please." His knees were weak.

She withdrew for a second, looking him in the eye. She returned to his ear, but farther away. "Focus Declan! We're talking about Amanda, and ultimately Kyle!" That did help somewhat, not that he really wanted to be sobered. She continued, "I need to find her to see if her phone is bugged."

Reluctantly he'd play along, even if her pretend enjoyment was lessened. "She got my text, she showed it to us." After a sudden thought, he added, "Did both cells display the same message with the same time?"

Her eyes opened a little more widely for a few seconds. "Yes, they're identical."

"And she's obviously not here." She didn't answer. "Have you tried Lori or Hillary? They've been hanging out these last few days."

She smiled and said, "That's great," before her eyes widened again. Her smile lessened by the second as she mumbled a few words here and there. Her forehead furrowed. "What," she whispered. Her arms totally relaxed and her eyes began to move left and right as she went further and further into her memories. He found it a little disconcerting, but at least he recognized it for what it was. Now he did anyway. While Jessi remained in this state, he held her waist, though there was no fear of her falling. Looking at her closely he could see why Amanda had thought it was some sort of seizure. It definitely didn't appear natural.

When she came to, she had a fierce look in her eyes. "Let's go, she's probably at Hillary's."

All playing aside, this was the side of Jessi he didn't care for; the change from mind-tease to joking to ultra serious all in a matter of minutes. He didn't fully understand girls in general – thought he probably never would – but this one had so many facets about her that it was dizzying.


	15. Chapter 15

Amanda felt the small amount of calm she had felt moments before dissipate like fog in a strong wind. She only took comfort that Lori, Hillary, and Declan were all here too, so it was unlikely there'd be any more fighting, thank goodness. She didn't want to repeat her mistake from earlier. However, whatever Jessi was here for couldn't be good.

Maybe she would go home after all and wait for Kyle. She breathed a very large sigh. No, she was determined to follow through with her excursion with Hillary, even if no one else came along, or if everyone did. She shuddered at the thought.

"So be it," she muttered as she pulled Lori along behind her. It was decided: she wouldn't hide behind anyone or anything. If she was going crazy, she'd do it with conviction. She still believed she was rational, despite the day's events painting an entirely different picture.

She released Lori and they emerged from the hallway into the living room with what she considered poise and propriety. She didn't really put much of a smile on her face, to keep from offending Jessi. Considering too that she'd had a huge grin on her face before she'd punched her, she didn't want to remind her of it, or provoke her.

"Hi Jessi," she said looking into her eyes, "hi, Declan." She figured she had to get it out of the way. She turned her eyes back to Jessi, "I'm sorry for earlier."

"The punch you mean?" Jessi was always to the point. When she nodded, Jessi added, "I'm fine."

"That's good then," she said with perhaps more enthusiasm than she felt. Bringing her hands together in front of her, she announced, "We're going to the mall. I'm s—"

Hillary interrupted her, "I'm paying for everyone to have pedicures, even you Declan."

He scoffed, "No thanks."

Jessi turned to him with a smile, "Your feet need it." She laughed as he playfully turned away.

"Yeah, right." Declan said.

With a nod and a bit of a shrug, Jessi said, "Why not? Let's all go together." She and Declan shared a glance.

Amanda couldn't believe how playful Jessi was behaving. Even her eyes didn't seem as intense as usual. Nothing was going as expected. She felt her heart racing as she wondered why things were sliding out of control. She only wanted to hang out with Lori and Hillary, wanted to tell Kyle everything about their plans to remove some of his trusting innocence. Was she somehow dreaming? Of course not.

She saw Jessi staring at her intently, the intensity she'd expected earlier suddenly reappearing. "Are you okay Amanda?"

Of course, Amanda thought, she'd hear or feel my panic. She tried desperately to calm down. She nodded half-heartedly, mumbled something unintelligible even to herself, and closed her eyes. She immediately felt arms surround her. Fresh tears threatened behind her lids. She held them back for the time being, grateful she had friends who loved her. She needed them.

Hillary spoke softly, "Come on Amanda, pull yourself together girl." She opened her eyes and saw Declan had stepped and turned away. Then she realized who had comforted her.

Nothing made sense anymore. She said beside Jessi's shoulder, "I tried to rip you to shreds earlier and now, you," she swallowed, stifling a sob, "you're being nice to me."

Jessi never let go, holding her close. "I forgive you." It was what she needed to hear most: forgive those who trespass against us. She might still be losing her mind, but at least she knew she wasn't imagining the change in Jessi, however abrupt it appeared. She knew that just as abruptly she'd gone from calm and loving to raging mad. She could still hold on to her faith as her moral compass, to do to others only what she wanted done to her.

In the next few minutes, in Jessi's arms, she felt immeasurably better, better than she'd felt since she'd spied Jessi sleeping early that morning. Knowing now that Jessi cared, she didn't feel threatened. She even felt a genuine smile creeping onto her face.

Jessi withdrew, claiming she had to go freshen up, with a hand to her face. She however, simply reveled in the newfound confidence she felt, in the love. She could face anything now.

***

Hillary was really surprised when Jessi took Amanda in her arms. Not only did it seem out of character, but it seemed to her that Jessi was straining while looking as calm and peaceful as ever. When they separated, she marveled at Amanda's transformation. She practically glowed, her benevolent, trademark smile back on her face. Jessi on the other hand, just ran to the bathroom as though she'd known where it was all along.

It was moments like this that made Hillary truly wish she knew why these people were important. Her cell vibrated and she looked at the message transcribed on the screen. It took only seconds to read the itinerary that was followed by a single comment at the bottom.

She wouldn't fail. She never did.

***

Jessi hadn't even intended to heal Amanda. Before she'd even realized it, she was probing in Amanda's brain, removing insecurities, increasing positive feelings, and looking for anything physically wrong with Amanda's brain. She'd never tried to do this kind of healing before; in fact she only regularly healed little cuts and scrapes from herself or Kyle but this had felt right.

It also proved to her that Amanda had definitely seen the text that had never been sent by Declan. It would also force her to stay around Amanda until Kyle returned from training with Foss. Pulling out her cell, she typed a short text to him saying they'd all be at the mall and that Amanda was all right.

She wiped her nose, expecting blood but finding little. It seemed probing and fixing someone's overall mood was easier than healing actual damage. It was likely that had Amanda truly been going crazy, she'd be in much worse shape now.

Nonetheless she splashed some water on her face and looked at herself in the gigantic set of mirrors. She smiled to herself for a job well done. It may not be completely over, but she did enjoy helping out. The fact Kyle would appreciate it later didn't factor too heavily into her smile, because Declan seemed to approve himself.

***

Because he didn't particularly enjoy hanging around a boutique that gave pedicures and manicures, he had excused himself from Jessi and wandered to the food court. Hillary had tried pretty hard to get him to have a pedicure, but Jessi had relented and excused him. Not that he would have stayed in any case, it was nice that Jessi wasn't totally bull headed.

Sipping a soft drink, his mind wandered over the last several hours. Jessi had worked very hard to control her normally aggressive temperament. He was very proud of her, and happy that it would likely make his life easier. He smiled a little when he recalled Amanda's mood change from seemingly desperate to her normally bubbly self. Perhaps if he ever felt like crap he could ask Jessi to fix him up?

He guessed she wouldn't do it unless it was necessary. He had noticed her run to the washroom, so it had taxed her.

What vexed him now was that Latnok had planted a fake message and prevented his message from being received by Amanda's phone, and yet had gotten to her phone when it was needed. How could that have happened unless the person responsible had been at the Rack when he'd been there? Unless the Rack was bugged; he found that hard to believe. How would they go about filtering the various conversations going on when it was busy? A single house was easy; Foss had proven it himself by seriously bugging the entire Trager household.

He sighed. It had already been an hour, and the last text from Jessi implied that there was nearly an hour left to go. The high end boutique was really busy and had few employees. He could think of a number of things he could do than stay at the mall. He could check out the Rack, try to find a bug. He couldn't even examine Amanda's phone because it was in her room, turned off.

Where was Kyle already? It was nearly 4:45 and he and Jessi had both called and texted him. He assumed Lori had too. He didn't believe their cells were all compromised because when they'd sent each other test texts, he and Jessi had had no problems. Was it possible that Kyle's phone was similarly tampered with?

He didn't put it past them. He gritted his teeth. He'd leave with Jessi the moment she was done. They had too many questions to answer.

His eyes became glued to a girl's eyes sitting at the far end of the food court. He recognized them even though the hair and clothes were vastly different. It was the girl who'd left the Rack promising him really kinky things just before Jessi had made her feelings known.

Jessi wanted to take things slow for a while, "enjoy the little things" she'd said. Although she was definitely a good tease, and wasn't going too slow either.

The girl seemed to invite him over but he refused. She clearly mouthed, "Your loss," and continued to eat what seemed like a dessert. He could certainly get some booty from this girl, but then Jessi would probably snap him in two.

He sighed as he turned his attention in the opposite direction. There were definitely disadvantages to having a relationship with a pod girlfriend. Remembering this afternoon when she'd effortlessly immobilized him in an embrace, he wondered if he could survive such a relationship. It was true he was a good guy, but he was what, 80% good and 20% bad, he'd once described himself? He had to be more than that if he wanted to live.

Suddenly he received a text from Kyle. Reading it once, he sobered. He and Foss had left to do some offsite extreme training, whatever that meant. He started texting Jessi when he got a message from her. Despite all their warnings and their messages to Kyle, he and Foss were out playing, leaving everything to them, Latnok be damned. "So much for teamwork," he muttered. He clenched his teeth, his drink forgotten.

***

Jessi had waited patiently all night, through the pedicures, through an expensive dinner in this fancy restaurant, and would likely end up waiting through the movie they all planned to go see afterward. They would only get home after 11pm.

She refused to sigh just then, projecting calm when she felt little of it. The fact Hillary was paying for everything didn't hurt of course, and it was really good food, her pasta dish was delightfully seasoned and was delicious. Amanda was no longer extremely bubbly, so she knew her mind healing didn't last very long. Maybe it had been more mind adjusting. She wondered briefly if Kyle would have approved? What if she'd messed something up? What if Amanda's personality or preferences changed, or worse, her memories were modified from what she'd done?

She knew she'd done very little, but still it worried her. There didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Everyone kept looking at their cells periodically, checking messages, and sending messages. The conversation was sparse actually, somewhat subdued unless it was about their pedicures or the restaurant, which was when Hillary burst in to say "Fabulous, isn't it?"

Declan remained at her side, somewhat agitated. She understood. Latnok was moving but they were needed here to help Amanda. She remembered Declan earlier commenting that he should leave her at the mall with the girls, that he was feeling "out of place," that he funnily referred to himself as being another chick.

They both knew that she was enough protection for Amanda in most circumstances, but since Kyle and Foss were out training out of town – she urgently wanted to know where they were – but was unwilling to reestablish her connection with Kyle in case that was why they'd gone out.

Then her only opportunity of the night came when both Lori and Amanda excused themselves for a moment. Hillary was viewing her fancy cell, no doubt laden with massive piles of gossip. Every now and then she'd announce some celebrity frivolity or some news-worthy nugget of information, as though she was connected to several tabloids' and news channels' instant messaging feeds.

"Excuse me," she said, before catching Declan glancing at her. She also saw Hillary start to rise. "Hillary, let's not leave poor Declan all alone at the table. Can you please keep him company? I'll only be a minute."

Hillary was standing, thinking. It struck her as odd that Hillary would want to keep an eye on her. Maybe it was because of her work on Amanda. Yes, she thought, perhaps that was exactly the reason. It had been a swift change, much too swift.

When Hillary sat down, saying "Sure thing," she smiled her thanks at her and promptly walked to the bathroom.

When the door was closed behind her, she stopped and listened for heartbeats. Both Lori and Amanda turned and stared at her, to which she replied with a small smile. When she was satisfied they were alone, she walked up to them. Looking into Amanda's eyes, "So Amanda, I'm not trying to upset you, but why the hell are you trying to corrupt Kyle? It sounds heinous!" She had tried to keep her voice level but it had nonetheless increased in pitch more than she'd hoped.

Amanda's and Lori's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. Lori interjected, "Jessi, how –"

They didn't have much time so Jessi interrupted her. "Sticky notes at the Rack? I read all but four of them." Amanda swallowed, unable to speak. "Some were nearly illegible from my vantage point, but yours Amanda were pretty clear." She paused, "Um, your hand writing is very neat."

Lori moved forward, "It's okay Jessi, corrupt is not really the correct word. We were only trying to make him less innocent."

"Less Kyle you mean?" She couldn't believe that Amanda of all people had started the whole thing, but she needed to hear it from her, not Lori. She looked directly at Amanda. She felt Amanda's heart beat rise but it seemed controlled. Yes, there was anger but there was something else.

Amanda started, "Kyle sees the best in everyone, wants the best for everyone. He wants to protect everyone." Jessi stayed quiet throughout. "Latnok has already kidnapped me once, Cassidy is still out there even though he hasn't shown up since he lied to Kyle they were brothers." Her eyes seemed to smolder, but her voice remained low, "Kyle couldn't bring himself to even injure someone who threatened his entire family, his whole life! When the time came to make Cassidy pay, he couldn't go through with it. Cassidy would never have hesitated to kill him." Amanda broke eye contact, looking down to her shoes. "In grade school I was called a sheep for being such a passive goody goody. Kyle is even more so than I am." Restoring the eye contact, "I thought that by removing his innocence, his desire to protect everyone at all times, that I'd make him safe from them and the experiments. That I'd make us all safe."

Amanda hesitated just a moment, "But there's simply no way they will ever let go of him. They think they own him because they created him and unleashed him into the world, both of you. Regardless of other parties' motivations, they chose not to kill you, so they're not all bad. They may not seem to care about you but they probably have some plans for you too, once they realize how closely connected you are. Some of them are probably the humanitarians that his genetic father believed."

Amanda moved forward, and spoke very low, "I've called the plan off. I've realized there's little I can do when it comes to Latnok. They're so big, but they have some good guys too. I hope we can co-exist; maybe we can help them on their more noble ideas, and refuse the others."

Jessi put her hand on Amanda's, "You were misguided in thinking you could change him so easily. I tried to make him stop loving you remember? Truth is, there was nothing I could do about that."

"He loves you too; it was clear when he couldn't feel your connection anymore. What did you–"

Jessi raised her hand, interrupting her. "He was only concerned for my well being." She smiled wryly, "I thought you were a sheep too; it's why I never saw your punch until it was too late."

Amanda's smile matched hers, "Everyone thinks I'm this really nice girl, but the ugly truth is that there's plenty of normal girl there. I'm really sorry."

"I've forgiven you remember? And now I forgive you for trying the impossible with Kyle. Just don't try it again." She'd been about to mention Latnok but she heard a heart beat approaching. She raised her hand, "I'll see you back at the table." With that she opened the door for Hillary, and said, "Sorry, got held up, the stalls were occupied."

Hillary scowled, "I thought someone maybe got flushed in here or something," and giggled.

Lori said, "We just finished, let's all go back."

***

He'd tried to keep Hillary at the table as long as possible, but in the end it was inevitable. She eventually claimed they'd be late for the movie if they "didn't emerge soon from the grasp of their alluring reflections." He smiled at the memory; Hillary could come up with interesting phrases, particularly witty ones, when she wanted to. She was normally so shallow, always buying the latest fashions, gossiping about everything that it surprised him to hear her speak so colorfully.

She'd probably had private teachers since she was a toddler anyway, so maybe he shouldn't be surprised. He'd had a basketball coach when he was seven, so maybe they weren't so different after all.

And now they were watching a romantic comedy that had more comedy than romance at the moment, and for that he was happy. Besides, holding Jessi's shoulders and having her lean against him was always a nice feeling.

Even if the movie took a turn for the worse, he'd still be smiling.


	16. Chapter 16

Kyle heaved a great sigh as he stepped outside. He enjoyed training with Foss because it kept him sharp and focused, but he preferred to be around his family, his friends, and especially Amanda. With a bounce in his step he walked home. It no longer mattered how the heaviness in his heart felt; he thought it would resolve itself in much the same manner as his sense of smell had.

To Kyle, time was a concept that was constant, static. It never slowed, never increased its pace, but kept a steady rhythm through the day, all day long. At any time he could tell what time it was to the second, though he didn't often bother with seconds because they would pass by the time he'd finish saying them. His training session with Foss had been an unusually long one and they'd even had a good lunch together in the middle. It was 4:13 pm.

In fact, he was hungry again thanks to the work he'd been put through that morning. He'd levitated stones and even levitated Foss from across the warehouse once, though only barely. A large grin split his features as he thought of practicing that skill further. He nonetheless knew the limits of his brain most of the time and could stop before he did any damage to himself.

His thoughts turned to Jessi. She commonly overtaxed herself, in the name of competition. He was about to examine the emptiness inside him but he stopped before he even started.

He pulled out his cell phone and saw a text from Amanda, inviting him to come to the pool. Now that his sense of smell was fixed, he could enjoy her company without troubling her. She was remarkable; it never ceased to amaze him. She had a wonderful talent with the piano, her personality fit him well, and she was beautiful too. Her acceptance of all that he was made her even more special.

No longer wishing to walk, he started running home.

He locked the door as he left the house, thinking for the eleventh time of surprising Amanda with his newfound control over his nose. He got into a quick rhythm and started for the pool. At his current pace, assuming he didn't have to wait for any traffic lights (of which there were two) he would be there in 12 minutes.

His reunion with Amanda was cut short with four minutes and thirty-two seconds to go, despite having had to wait at both lights for more than a minute each. He suddenly stopped when he saw a dozen males walking in a semi-circle in front of him. He took a quick breath and could tell they meant trouble. He turned around and noticed a dozen more bringing up the rear.

It was then he chastised himself for not paying adequate attention. In his eagerness to get to Amanda, he'd ignored the four heavily tinted vehicles parked in an otherwise vacant parking lot to the right of the small street he was using as a short cut to the pool. Three in front had clubs but otherwise all of them appeared unarmed.

They were walking slowly, and all smelled confident and in control. They were sure they had him cornered. He wouldn't betray the truth with a smile though; instead, he made himself look worried.

He immediately sent out a warning message to Jessi, remembering too late that the connection was gone so she might not receive it. Digging his right hand into his pant pocket, he grasped his cell, opened it, and single-handedly typed a quick message to Amanda to leave the pool immediately. Before clicking send however he realized that his phone was likely compromised. He cleared the message with his thumb and closed the cell. Almost immediately he heard the nearly inaudible chime – certainly inaudible for regular human ears – so he pulled out the phone a few inches out of his pocket and stole a glance at the message displayed there. As he did so he walked toward the tall wooden fence to his right. The scents from the men around him were growing stronger, the hostility clear in their bearing.

He looked more intently at the message on his cell, "Give up."

That was something he would never do to the likes of Latnok, or any other company or organization who sought to control him or endanger his family and friends. Knowing now that his phone was useless, he took it firmly in his right hand and threw it at one of the men holding a club. With his superior strength the phone struck and broke the left knee of his target. He didn't enjoy hurting people by any means, but knew he had to get away. He knew that if they were all unarmed he could probably take care of all of them, despite the melee that would ensue, but he knew that he'd likely hurt several very badly in such a battle.

Because he preferred the quick escape to the bloodbath, Kyle smiled grimly as he jumped over the ten foot tall fence, landing at a full run, heading to the pool. He'd warn Amanda himself. He ran to the pool at a frantic pace, his mind focused on the task at hand.

Like Foss had taught him: look first for threats, then for civilians, then your goal.

The pool was nearly empty and the main building seemed to be closed. Yet six people were swimming, none of them a girl even remotely like Amanda, and five others were standing around. There was no lifeguard anywhere. He also noted that he couldn't hear Amanda's heartbeat either.

Taking a short deep breath he noticed everyone's attention was turned to him. The nearest man in the pool waved to him, "Come on in, it's really warm." Even with the smile, he could tell these people didn't belong here. He didn't recognize any of them. Then he saw the chain link fence cut in the far corner. That was how they'd gotten in.

Could they all be Latnok? He started to tense. This wasn't just a small operation, this would be life or death. It was a second trap!

"Cassidy," he muttered angrily. Without answering the people in and around the pool he turned around, heading for home. He only couldn't go directly.

***

Josh couldn't believe it. He waited eagerly for his dear Andy to land from her surprise flight from Connecticut, even though one of her moms had texted him about it just a few minutes ago. He was so surprised to learn they even got her a fancy hotel room which he'd also been registered as a guest. He'd left work early at Rachel's insistence to spend quality time with his girlfriend. He hadn't seen her face to face in months! He missed her so much.

His face couldn't hurt any more than it already did from his smile. It didn't really matter that her plane was delayed by an hour or two, he had plans to shock her out of her clothes.

***

"The target has evaded capture as anticipated. One non-life threatening injury to report. Step 3 complete." The dark skinned man closed his cell and turned to his team, "Clear out."

***

He couldn't go directly home, he had to evade or mislead whoever might be following him. As a result, he carefully glanced around periodically looking for anything out of the ordinary, and jumped over fences and hid in the tops of trees whenever it was necessary. When he was close to the Rack he bolted to the back door and forced it open, breaking the locking mechanism.

He muttered to himself, "I'll fix it later."

Crouching, he peeked into the main dining room of the Rack and saw the new employee Rachel. She was cleaning tables, her cell phone in her hand. Seeing no one else inside, he emerged and said, "Hi Rachel." She jumped at his sudden appearance. Her heart was beating rapidly. Of course she'd not seen him come in from the front door so she'd thought she was alone. Without waiting for her to calm down, he continued, "Is Josh here?" He listened intently for Josh's heartbeat, or for his smell. For the most part he could only smell the strong disinfectant in the spray bottle in her left hand, though he thought he could smell a little of Josh.

She seemed to recover quickly, and smiled back at him. "Oh hi, I didn't see you come in." She smelled uncertain, which made sense considering he was still at the entrance to the back room when he should have been nearer to the front door. She appeared not to have heard him, "Did you want to order something?"

She smelled really nervous, unsure. "No, is Josh here," he asked again, taking a few steps forward.

"Shawn? I don't—" she started to lie and it irritated him.

He yelled, "Josh, your boss, where is he?" Despite being only her direct supervisor, he wasn't really her boss. He pushed the thought away. Her cell rang and he realized it was a particularly fancy model. She took one glance at it and closed it without answering. He didn't have the time for this. "You're good at ignoring questions and phone calls," he said, emphasizing the conjunction.

"He left early to see his girlfriend." Finally, the truth.

"Andy?" She nodded, smelling of uncertainty and anxiety. She seemed scared.

"You want a drink? On the house, for my poor performance and my poor memory?" She smiled at him, but her scent screamed deception. He couldn't fathom why. She started walking to the bar to start a smoothie. "How about strawberry kiwi," she asked.

With an unfixed menu where you could have just about any of their 15 ingredients in any combination, how likely was it that she'd pick his favorite out of the blue, regardless of its popularity? Any hint of a smile disappeared from his face as he quickly made the calculation. It was ridiculously low.

She was Latnok too, and surely she was stalling for backup to arrive. Did they know he could smell their deceit, their lies rolling off their tongues like toxic waste? "Sure, I'd like that; I'll just go to the washroom for a sec."

He strolled to the men's room door, pushed it but didn't enter. Instead he quietly ran back the way he'd come, noticing she'd never turned back to him. His stealth training was really proving to be useful.

Outside and hidden in relative safety, he allowed himself to think. Josh was with Andy. At least that was good. He continued to move. He heard two vehicles turning harshly into the Rack's parking lot and stopping immediately. He had left just in time.

He dropped behind some bushes, stopping dead in his tracks. She might have thought it was the truth, but his phone might have been compromised as well and he could be at risk of getting captured by Latnok too.

Was Nicole even at a Conference in San Francisco? Latnok had already deployed 38 people to capture him. Where could Josh be? If he thought Andy was coming to town, he'd probably be at home washing up.

He wasn't particularly far from home but he didn't want to walk – or run – into another trap. There was a park between the Rack and home, the same he'd waited in for Amanda with a nose plug on his nose, he remembered. If anyone there had a phone he'd ask them to borrow it to text Jessi and Foss. He needed their help above all.

With a plan in mind he jumped a little higher than he'd wished and realized he was seen by a toddler playing inside his house but thankfully not by his mother, or anyone else. He was out of sight when he heard the toddler call his mom by name.


	17. Chapter 17

Kyle extended his senses, used everything he had, in order to ensure he was not spotted again. He was lucky it was a toddler the first time. Had it been Latnok, they'd be all over him. The situation was very serious; not only had his phone been compromised, but Latnok had known the route he'd take to get to the pool, and had even placed Rachel at the Rack – if that was even her real name.

His stomach was in knots with worry for Amanda, his family, and his friends. Whereas the first 'test' as it had been called involved kidnapping Amanda late at night, now they were operating with a huge force during the day.

Not for the first time, he muttered, "Why can't they just leave them alone!" He considered following the direction on his cell phone, the demand to give up, and immediately rejected it. With people like Cassidy and Grace Kingsley out there, he'd likely be tied to machines for the rest of his life. It was either that or his death. He rejected that too.

He noted several vehicles patrolling the neighborhood and the pattern they followed. It was simple but didn't leave him much time to get out from beneath the large pine tree he was hiding under. With the cover of additional bushes and a small rock garden in front of the pine, he was safe from prying eyes. He was so close to his home but it seemed they had the immediate vicinity under high alert.

Frustrated, he balled his fists. Anger wasn't a feeling he particularly enjoyed, but having been stuck in this block of houses for the last fifteen and a third minutes had really bothered him. He especially worried what would happen if he simply charged in.

He'd planned to go to the park but once there he'd found it completely vacant. He needed to find a telephone that he could use to contact Foss, Jessi, Amanda, and Declan at least. Oddly he wasn't certain of the order other than for Foss. He'd surely have a viable plan.

Sighing, he thought again of breaking into one of the houses, or even the house where the toddler was and asking to use the phone from his mother. He didn't want to risk anyone else's lives to Latnok. It only appeared that he had little choice.

Seeing his opportunity he flew out of his hiding spot, jumped back over the fence from where he'd come. Every time he jumped he looked all around, keeping track of any threat. Luckily he found none.

It was then he noticed three business people in the park he'd just abandoned. There were two men talking into cells and one woman walking away from them at a brisk pace. He clearly heard her conversation, "John, the panels are useless as they are! You need to focus on the brand, using our corporate colors! Have the team think up a different slogan too, I hate the one you cooked up this morning." A brief pause, "I don't care if it took you 100 hours to get that thought. It's chauvinistic and dated. You –"

Ignoring the remainder of her conversation, he vaulted over the white fence and ran across the street to a spot directly in front of her, on the small paved path weaving through the park. Another patrol would come by this street in about 45 seconds, but he also didn't want to scare her needlessly. They stood near a few large low trees too, which he'd use to further protect him from the patrols. There was a strong breeze at his back.

She didn't even seem to see him. He cleared his throat to get her attention and said, "Excuse me, can I borrow your phone for just a minute? It's life—"

Without stopping or even looking at him, she started to go around him.

He raised his voice and grabbed her shoulder, "It's an emergency! Will you give me your phone?"

She disinterestedly eyed him but made no reply. Instead, she crouched and twisted slightly to get away. She succeeded for half a second before he growled at her and ripped the phone out of her hands, ended the call and started texting Amanda all in a matter of three seconds.

The woman turned on him, "Who do you think you are! That was an important business call!" She continued to rave, but he ignored her.

His first text sent, he sent another more detailed one to Foss, then another to Jessi. The lady tried in vain to retrieve her phone, and couldn't seem to get within one foot of him. After fifteen seconds of futility she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Help! Help!"

In the corner of his eyes he saw the two men get up and close their phones. They nodded to each other before walking quickly toward him.

He was mid-way through a text for Declan when the first text came back from Foss. He opened the text and scanned it. He could scarcely believe his eyes. His mouth went dry and his ears buzzed.

"We have him. Go home."

A second message came from Amanda. Mechanically he opened it and his heart sank further.

"We have her. Go home." He clicked send for his message to Declan.

He expected to receive a third message about Jessi, stating the same. He waited for twenty seconds, weaving between the two men and the woman, never allowing them to get near him. He knew the patrol would be coming soon so he ran behind the low lying trees, continuing to evade them. One of the men dived for his legs which he jumped over effortlessly.

The buzzing cleared in his ears and he heard the patrol coming down the street. If they saw anyone running around in circles in the park they'd surely stop to take a look.

A new plan in mind, he said to the man who was still standing, "Sorry sir." Without hesitation he swept the man's legs from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground. The woman was still screaming at him to give her back her phone, shrilly, her voice beginning to get hoarse. The wind was blowing into his face and he sniffed the air a moment, confused.

The man who had dived for him was up again and coming at him at full speed.

A third text came in, this time from Declan. "Got him too. This is not a game. Go home." He'd come to expect as much.

The man was upon him, but Kyle turned at the last moment, his hand palm out, straight into the man's diaphragm. His would be assailant drove the wind out of himself. He collapsed, clutching his chest, trying to breathe.

He emerged from behind the trees, in full view of the patrol, which had indeed stopped. Of course, they'd known where he was.

These three were Latnok as well, and the petite woman's deceitful shrieks might have got him before but now he felt only rage. For the briefest moment, he felt at the hole that had been in him since Jessi had pulled out her end of their connection. It surprised him to feel intense joy there.

Maybe she was drugged, but then why wouldn't they respond for her too unless they meant for him to assume her dead.

He knew that couldn't be. Maybe this was just another elaborate test after all.

Another text came in. He didn't even bother to glance at it. Instead, he crushed the cell in his hand and bolted over a fence heading toward home. Considering they were forcing him to go home, he figured that they wouldn't stop him from getting there however he decided to.

It took only five minutes to reach the Blooms' backyard and to climb into Amanda's bedroom. He focused his hearing and his sight onto his family's home. No one was inside, and there were no signs of patrols anymore. He waited eleven minutes before remembering Josh. It was then he spotted Amanda's cell on her dresser.

She'd never actually replied; he'd known that. But if her phone was here, where would she be?

Unless they really did have everyone. His fists balled once more. Not trusting cell phones anymore, he left Amanda's room and found the main phone in the living room. He picked up the handset but never dialed a number.

It was ringing. It rang only once, but he stayed quiet. "Hi Kyle?" It was Hillary, Lori's best friend. "Are you there? Please answer."

After a few precious seconds, he did. He then heard her call his name as though the phone was now in someone else's hand. A computer altered voice came on, "She's served her purpose. Finish her." He heard a muffled scream, flooding the pool of joy he'd previously felt with fury. She was only an acquaintance! She wasn't even family! The voice started anew, "Kyle, comply now or your entire family will face the same fate. We'll start with Nicole."

"Wait!" he yelled into the phone. Despite everything he needed to know about Amanda.

"You have three minutes." The line went dead.


	18. Chapter 18

6:38 pm

Kyle sat motionless in the hallway of his house, but his brain was spinning with thousands of thoughts. His muscles were tense, ready to be used to full effect. He'd opened the front door and opened the windows to allow his sense of smell access to the outdoors.

It had already been 43 minutes and 16 seconds since he'd jumped out of Amanda's bedroom. Not wanting to give those cretins a reason to harm anyone else, he'd only taken 73 seconds to get out of the Blooms' house and into his.

To think that they'd killed Hillary, his jaw clenched in response. It would start with his acquaintances and end with those he loved most. He'd eventually be alone; he guessed they'd keep Jessi if they could keep her sedated, as it appeared she'd been –

"Wait," he barely whispered to himself. The intense joy he'd felt before was completely gone. He now felt nothing at all. Either Jessi had completely severed their connection or… No, until he spoke with Latnok he would make no conclusions. His jaw hurt and his muscles complained that they were contracted, but he ignored the discomfort.

He wouldn't give up. And then his stomach rumbled again.

7:12 pm

With a full stomach he could use its energy to stay away all night if necessary. All the leftovers were gone and the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. It was now well past the time where someone should have come home. Josh, Stephen, and Nicole should all be home by now.

He sat back down on the second step of the stairs in the main hallway, a phone directly beside him.

The phone rang the moment he sat down. He answered it immediately.

The computer garbled voice spoke, "Three unarmed Latnok agents will be arriving in five minutes to escort you to our facility. You can choose to fight back; there will be no consequence to doing so at this time." The line went dead.

If he'd been clenching his teeth before, he was grinding them to dust now. They wanted him to fight? They wanted to see him bash heads? Or did they somehow expect him to demurely submit to their wishes?

Realization washed over him. The phone had rung the moment he'd sat back down, which meant either the whole house was bugged, someone was remotely viewing him outside, or that it was a terrible coincidence. He normally believed in coincidences because statistically things could happen at any given time, especially if these were independent occurrences. The day's events showed that nothing was coincidence when it came to Latnok, which meant someone was watching him somehow.

He squinted and focused his vision to the point where he magnified the picture twenty times. He carefully tracked the time and kept his hearing on high alert while he examined the walls around him in detail. After looking at a block, he would mark it on his mental map, before changing his focus to another.

As the minutes ticked by, he'd not come across any visible sign of tampering from within. He wouldn't rest until he verified the entire house, but first he had to take care of unwanted guests.

He stood when he smelled their arrival. They were very quiet. They walked on the balls of their feet, and somehow not surprisingly, were dressed in black ninja-like garb.

The one who'd slid inside via the small kitchen window and was now in the kitchen, said in Japanese, "You will come with us."

He replied in Japanese, "No thanks."

The one who'd scaled the wall and entered via Lori's room appeared at the top of the stairs. He spoke in Korean, "We will escort you to your destination, willing or not."

Kyle replied in Korean, "I don't think so."

A shadow appeared before the front door. In Mandarin, "We will wrap you like present to the Emperor."

The Japanese ninja said, "Like human sushi."

The Korean added, "But first we'll soften you up." With a yell he ran speedily down several stairs and jumped at him, his left foot like a dagger.

Kyle might have laughed about encountering three ninjas but he was past that today. As the Korean flew by him, Kyle grabbed his leg and threw him into the wall. The dry wall caved in where the man landed. Powder flew into the air from the impact, as stray chunks fell on the man's head.

He berated himself for having thrown him where there was no support beam. He'd known where it was but at the last moment decided not to hurt the man. A stray thought came as he jumped up several stairs to keep the three ninjas in front of him. Did ninjas have family, loved ones?

Another thought raced to the forefront of his mind. Did he care? His loved ones were in danger! The Korean got up, shook himself off, and snarled, "He's mine!" The others crept closer but kept their distance.

As the Korean ninja threw vicious punches and kicks, Kyle realized he was barely ahead of the man. Foss might be well trained in martial arts, but he couldn't match these trained killers. He found that the blows he was deflecting were being aimed to hit points on the body that would cause significant pain. They were not to kill.

The Korean's heartbeat was steady, quick but controlled. This was normal practice for a ninja, as of yet just a warm up. Kyle knew he would need an advantage soon. They were now at the top of the stairs and he'd had yet to do anything but deflect blows. A chuckle emerged from his throat, unbidden.

The ninja slowed perceptibly in his attacks. Kyle laughed out loud, and projected his voice with the full control of his diaphragm, actually creating a wave of sound in front of him. It was by no means strong enough to disrupt the ninja's balance but it had been enough to knock a couple picture frames off their hooks, causing them to crash to the ground, littering the stairs with glass and wood splinters.

By instinct the Korean glanced back to assess the threat. Even though he'd done a round kick belt high that Kyle had previously backed away from, Kyle jumped four feet in the air, crouched in mid air and thrust his foot straight into the Korean ninja's sternum. The man's fall was silent but his eyes were open wide. He flailed his arms, trying to reach the rail or the wall for purchase but finding none. He slammed into the wall near the bottom of the stairs, caving it in as well. This time though, Kyle counted the number of cracked ribs he heard in the millisecond of the impact.

Kyle smiled grimly. The Korean shouldn't die if he received prompt medical attention. Wasn't this the purpose of these ninjas? To test how lethal, how he could dispatch some of the best in hand to hand without killing them? These ninjas might be unarmed, but their fists and flying feet were more than most could handle.

In Mandarin Kyle yelled, "Who's next?"

The reply came in Japanese, "I."

He smelled the lie and knew their plan. He nearly sighed and ran down the stairs, avoiding the glass and the injured ninja.

Landing at the foot of the stairs, he countered the Japanese ninja's rapid blows. Seconds later he heard the other ninja at the top of the stairs. As he came down running he screamed when he felt flying shards of glass cutting into his face and chest.

The focus it had taken to propel the tiny shards in various precise directions had forced him to slow his reflexes. The Japanese ninja's fist found his right kidney and a snake strike to his bottom most ribs were marginally forced apart but there was no pain.

Turning back to his assailant, Kyle grinned as he thrust his right hand out into the man's diaphragm, sending him back four feet in the process. The ninja was not winded however; he had contracted his abdominals in time.

The Chinese ninja took the opportunity to strike. In many places his outfit was cut and blood oozed from most of them. Kyle smelled the man's target and moved out of the way, grabbing his wrist. With his elbow he broke the ninja's elbow. The ninja cried sharply and kicked at his face. Kyle bent backward, narrowly avoiding the blow meant to smash his nose into his skull. It had been the first strike that any of the ninjas had taken that could have killed him. He swiveled out of the way of the same leg coming down. Still holding on to the wrist with the broken arm, he pulled hard and heard the man grunt and his dark eyes water. The man's heart beat faster though.

Unwilling to stop, the Chinese ninja struck at him with his other hand, aimed at his throat. Mere inches from his target, Kyle grabbed the man's other wrist, let go of the useless arm and broke the other arm at the elbow with his palm. He turned and kicked the ninja full in the chest, catapulting him into the wall at the base of the stairs. The wall there crumbled too and once more he heard several bones cracking – only a few were broken outright – but he'd hit his head pretty hard against a support beam, knocking him out cold. It was a picture engrained in his memory. Two battered ninjas sitting in crumbled recesses in adjoining walls at the base of the stairs.

The Japanese ninja stood tall, "Are you ninja too," he asked in broken English.

"No. I'm just a boy who wants to live a normal life."

The truth always seemed best, but his remaining opponent's eyes opened wide at the answer. In Japanese, "You are not a normal youngster. You have great potential! Come to Japan –"

"What about your employer," he said interrupting him, not that he planned to go with him. He would never leave his family.

The man's eyes opened even wider. "You are right. Thank you for removing the sun from my face." He bowed, and got into fighting stance. "You are my mission, the life of my son is in the balance." At the man's response, pain filtered through Kyle's body's defenses. His arms were sore from the many blocks he'd done, his right kidney sent him sharp jabs of pain, and his ribs ached.

He retreated to the kitchen, the remaining ninja in pursuit. He took hold of the toaster's cord, noticing it was still plugged in from that morning. The ninja leaped behind him, narrowly missing him. Kyle put his hand to the ninja's back, feeling little remorse. The electrical current passing through his body was a gentle hum, but clearly was a massive shock to his assailant.

Listening to the man's heart, he let go of him after less than two seconds. "Go back to your son," Kyle yelled to him angrily. He wasn't completely sure he could still hear. He released his hand from the ninja's back. He nodded, and shuffled slowly towards the front door. In the hallway, the Japanese ninja turned to him, opened his mouth to speak and found he couldn't. Instead he bowed, and poorly trotted out the open front door, unusually loudly.

Less than three minutes passed before Kyle heard four vehicles rapidly approaching. He sighed, he didn't want to hurt any more people but he was resolved to protect himself and his family, even though they weren't here. He pondered his choices. Latnok had invited him to fight the ninjas and against the odds he'd won. Nonetheless he was no closer to his family and friends than he'd been before the battle. Pursing his lips into a scowl, he grasped the toaster's power cord and absorbed some electricity.

He heard car doors closing and knew he had little time. He was out in the open; if someone had a gun they could surely shoot him through the window. He fled up the stairs. As he did so, did he really have anywhere to go? If he left his house to these invaders, would Latnok start killing as they'd said?

Other than the Chinese ninja had actively tried to kill him – and that only after he'd broken one of his arms. They didn't want him dead. He sneered at himself as he thought, "I'm too valuable." Everyone else was expendable, and he found that utterly loathsome.

A familiar voice floated up the stairs. "Kyle? Come out where I can see you."

Not only could he hear a strong quiver in the woman's voice, but he heard men grunting and carrying things as they walked into the house. He stood at the top of the stairs, still out of view. "Why are you here Emily?" Emily had worked for Madacorp and had been used by Latnok to play Jessi's elder sister among other things. Whether she still worked there didn't matter to him in the least. He held no love for the woman.

Although she was too far for him to smell, he heard her heartbeat just fine and it was going crazy. "Clean up crew."

He could now smell fresh dry wall and could assume there were vacuums and paint and brushes. Would they also repair or replace the pictures he'd broken? With an ugly smile on his face, he asked, "Why don't you come up here then? Let the people do their work?" His mind was going through countless scenarios, and coming up with little positive outcomes for his family.

He heard her cell phone vibrate and it being closed harshly seconds later. "Okay, I'm coming up." A click and some jingling followed.

He smelled her before he saw her. She was truly afraid, but whether it was of him or of something else he couldn't be sure. He knew from Jessi that she had a daughter and instantly assumed a likely scenario. Why not tell her? He smiled as the gun she shakily held in front of her appeared from around the corner. "You took out all six bullets Emily. What made you even think Latnok wanted me dead?"

"Um…" She faltered and stepped on a shard of glass, grimacing even though it didn't go through her high heeled shoe.

"Not the best choice in footwear I'm afraid." He paused, "Oh, and watch out for the ninjas in their cubicles." He noted her increasing heart rate. He didn't really feel bad, it actually felt good to tease and cajole her, the lady who had tried unsuccessfully to break up his parents' marriage. "So," he started again, "who's watching your daughter Paige?"

The gun slipped out of her hands but it never hit the floor. Instead it floated in the air at her feet. She watched it and then stared hard at him. "A friend." Her scent was strong and clear now.

He nodded, "I'll believe anything but." He made the gun float higher and point to her head. "Thankfully you don't have a bullet still in there." Click. "It would have been messy." The gun fell to the ground with a clatter.

She swallowed visibly. "No," he interrupted when she started to bend down to pick the gun back up. "You won't need that." The bullets flew out of her pocket and drove themselves into the walls. "Sorry about the extra work. Now," his tone deadly serious, "tell me what I want to know."

"Where's Jessi?" He couldn't believe that she didn't know; she was a pawn like the others!

He yelled at the top of his lungs, "No! Amanda, Jessi, Stephen, Nicole, Lori, Josh, Declan, and Foss!" His fists balled at his hips. "Hillary too!"

She broke down, "I don't know anything! I swear!" She started to cry.

In a single leap he landed directly beside her, precariously on the step just above her. His balance didn't waiver. "So tell me then who has your daughter."

"Cassidy." Her eyes fell to her shoes and stayed there.

"You should be scared then. He used a taser on me, then he claimed to be my brother." Her eyes came up, full of tears. He put his hand gently on her mouth, and continued, "Fear wasn't enough to keep him away and now I've lost everyone I hold dear." He so wanted to transfer his hand to her throat but resisted, an image of Amanda the only thing preventing him from doing so. "I know you get communications from them, get them to listen to me or you'll regret it." He lifted his hand from her mouth and jumped back to the top of the stairs.

"I'll give you half an hour." He sat down and watched the cleanup crew gently pick up the ninjas. He refused to relish anything. Not until everyone was safe. In his heart he felt a twinge of fear, causing his face and heart to harden. "Changed my mind; you have three minutes."


	19. Chapter 19

8:45 pm

He had watched the cleanup crew with disdain. The fact there was a cleanup crew indicated that this entire day was meant to be nothing but a memory. He and Emily were sitting at the top of the stairs, mostly in silence. She radiated fear, for herself and for her daughter.

The three minute deadline had elapsed without a response, and the original half hour deadline had passed as well. As time wore on, her mood didn't improve much. She tried mumbling to him about her daughter, and what she was now doing. She even told him how Cassidy had appeared and enlisted her at gunpoint to lead a cleanup crew to his house.

"He told me I'd need a gun when I met with you. When I saw the damage in the hall and down there," she said, pointing at the base of the stairs, "I got really worried."

He didn't really want to talk with her. The feelings of fear in his heart had been intensifying in the last twenty minutes. Every few minutes he tried sending a telepathic message to Jessi, but without their full connection, he realized it was likely futile. "I defended myself."

She turned to him and scoffed. "By throwing them into walls. Nice, sweet, gentle Kyle."

"There were three ninjas. Full blown ninjas, like on TV."

"They were masked, but they weren't ninjas. Ninjas don't really exist," she said as though she were an authority on ninjas.

"Whatever." He couldn't care less about her. As time continued to tick, he became more and more restless. Every few minutes now he was feeling a spike of fear, and some disgust. It was slowly tipping him toward the edge. He squeezed his hands together, growling.

The edge of his nightmare self, well, maybe not _that nightmare_. It was the nightmare where he just went totally mad and killed every Latnok person he found, and didn't care whether civilians were involved. He knew he'd be a terrific assassin, one who could easily star in a cheesy one-man-versus-the-world action flick, regardless of its name.

A sudden gasp escaped his lips, making Emily turn quickly toward him. He'd just felt a stab of terror in his gut, and although it had quickly fallen back to just general fear, he worried what it meant.

"Try again." It wasn't a request. His head hurt, but strangely his few injuries didn't. His eyes burned, as though hot tears broiled just beneath the surface of his eyes. He wanted to do something already! His breathing quickened.

She appeared to observe the work that was hastily being completed. He hadn't been surprised when he found they actually had pictures and picture frames to replace the ones that he'd broken. He wondered if they perhaps watched the house with secret military-grade satellites? It would explain how they could see into the house, no?

He could think of a dozen devices he'd put in orbit if he wanted such 24 hour surveillance and no one would ever know. Only, now he suspected it, and if it were the case, there'd be nothing he could ever do about it.

Not completely, he surmised. He could create a cell phone that examined every copy of a call or text and if it found it was tampered with, it would give him the source of the tampering. He could do the same with an e-mail or a text…

"Stay here, even if they contact you." He got up and rushed to the bottom of the stairs. "And don't move – I'll be listening." He wasn't feeling charitable.

He ran to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Without a moment to lose, he started to create an obscenely long and complex e-mail tracking program.

10:05 pm

He was perplexed when he started feeling joy and laughter, and even feelings of romance. Was Jessi attached to a machine already, forced to feel varying emotions, like a lab rat? He pushed the brunt of the emotions away, but kept track of what the feelings were and their intensity. He needed to know everything, log anything that might identify where she was.

First the fear and the eventual spikes of terror followed by general happiness and romance; it was no doubt a sign they were conducting some sort of experiments on her. Maybe they didn't realize he felt what she did? If that were the case, he'd certainly keep the secret. They already knew too much.

He sighed, satisfied that the elaborate program he'd created was complete. It was nonetheless a prototype program, with a few holes in its logic, but to plug all those holes would have required him and Jessi work in tandem for days. This should suffice.

He tested the program with an e-mail sent to Foss. He discovered almost immediately that the e-mail was redirected from its destination to a third party e-mail. His program computed the GPS coordinates of where the e-mail went and sent him a message. That message bounced and went to a separate address. Soon the program was overseeing thousands of e-mails and threatened to crash his computer. He terminated the execution of the program.

His jaw set when he realized that he couldn't send it from his standard e-mail account or from his IP address. It had to be totally anonymous. He set to work, having also overheard Emily receiving a call.

10:28 pm

She never came down, but she also never moved from the spot at the top of the stairs. He smiled because she was terrified of him. Looking back he also noticed that the cleanup crew was done and were waiting outside, waiting for her.

Stretching, he worked out his tense muscles. He had created a sub program that ensured total anonymity that also worked within the original program. Realizing its logic wasn't flawless either – he knew almost everything in the world of computing could be circumvented – he held his breath as he hit run and resent the e-mail to Foss, though this time he'd changed the subject line and the content just a little, in the event that the Latnok engineers were actively trying to counter his efforts.

The e-mail was immediately misdirected to a third party address, which caused his program to send an e-mail circuitously back to his IP which was secured by a complex mathematical algorithm encrypted by 1024 bit encoding. It worked his computer hard, and he could feel its eight processors start to warm up considerably. The number of redirected e-mails increased steadily, until it found a duplicate fake destination which the program then redirected to the intended destination. It had only taken 23,916 redirections to achieve it and a good thirteen minutes.

He smiled and awaited a reply e-mail. His program worked somewhat like a highly cloaked worm, but one that would delete all traces of itself once an e-mail was returned to him. He put up the sound of his speakers to low and walked out of his room. He needed to hear when the reply came to him after all.

Emily was shifting nervously from side to side on the top step when he walked to the bottom of the staircase. He put a finger to the new wall. It was extremely fine work; it was scary how close the materials felt and looked. He sniffed, not overly perceptibly, to prevent anyone from noticing or suspecting. The smells were vastly different however, you could tell where the new paint was simply by its different chemical composition. It was an extremely fast drying, non toxic paint not available in stores, he was sure. A stray thought supplied the anticipated setting time at a little over two minutes.

His mind had also started to analyze further modifications to its chemical composition to enhance it further but he ground the idea flat. "Emily, did you by any chance receive a call?"

Still moving side to side, she nodded.

He let out a quick derisive breath out his nose. "You know I probably wouldn't have killed you for going to the bathroom," he said.

Her eyes met his and she got up quickly.

"I did say probably, and now I think it might be too late." He jumped and landed directly behind her, and grabbed the back of her blouse. He knew it was wrong to scare the woman, but if this would be the only outlet to his frustrations after a terrible day, he'd accept it. "You could also have peed yourself. It's better than getting killed isn't it?" With the other hand he took her arm and turned her around.

Her heart was beating extremely fast, her breaths coming in quick and shallow too. "Please, think of my daughter."

He'd had enough. It just felt too wrong to torture this woman, even though she'd previously tortured the family, and especially Jessi. It hadn't been physical torture for sure, but emotional torture was often just as bad. He figured it was the main reason Jessi had been so aggressive and compulsive at first. "Go on," he said, releasing her, "and after you can bring me to your place. I'd like to chat with Cassidy."

Once behind the closed bathroom door, she said, "But he has a gun."

"That's ok, you'll be my shield." He smiled again. He heard the chime of a reply e-mail from Foss. He jumped down the stairs and raced to his room, while also listening to her, to make sure she didn't try to escape.

The e-mail he received from Foss appeared on the screen. He read it eagerly.

_Kyle,_

_I admit my part in today's tests. One of Adam's old associates at Latnok, one of the more agreeable ones, somehow intercepted a plan initiated by Amanda to "corrupt you". They didn't want to risk anyone's life, and detailed to me an elaborate scheme to test you psychologically._

_The test was scheduled to end once you somehow rescued any of your friends or family or contacted me. I see you contacted me first, because I've just been advised the test is complete._

_Kyle, please know that everyone is safe. They were in no danger; I've personally been receiving reports on everyone. This was, like Amanda's kidnapping, another test of your skills and resolve._

_I tell you this because I didn't want you to find it out on your own. The plan started two nights ago, but only today with our extended training session could the project go ahead._

_I'm sorry if you feel betrayed. It appears as though they went a little further than we'd agreed, but I trust you're okay. Good night. I'll see you in the morning._

_Tom_

Kyle had read the entire note in one and a half seconds but his eyes focused purely on the word "corrupt". His energy seemed to drain from him and he vaguely heard the toilet flush upstairs and Emily running for all she was worth. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think.

Betrayed wasn't the right word at all. Did no one realize how easy it would be for him to become a monster? To shed his sheep's wool and become a devil on Earth? His nightmares were a way for his brain to allow the monster to be free, if only for a few hours, while in his waking hours it slept, totally oblivious that it wasn't experiencing reality.

He was so good to those around him because the monster was a separate entity within him. His sanity, his mind, he dare say his soul was what kept the demon at bay.

Despoil was a better word. More: defile, desecrate.

He knew now of course how Latnok had intercepted her plan, however misguided it had been. That didn't exonerate her! She was Catholic, taught from birth to obey Ten Commandments, and countless other unwritten rules. He'd read her Bible from cover to cover and he distinctly remembered no instruction within it that told her to do anything as heinous as had been done today.

He'd been nearly ready to snap some necks. He'd considered killing Cassidy with his own gun after using Emily as a meat shield. He realized deep inside he might not have gone through with the plans today, but after a week or a month of solitude, of desperation, could he say how he'd feel? Would he have stayed sane?

He heard the vehicles drive off one after the other. He slumped into his tub, sobbing.

12:05 am

He'd fallen asleep but woke when a sudden wave of emotion washed over him. Recognizing Jessi, having missed it so much, made him also realize that the other emotions he'd felt all day were separate from hers. Now he knew where the confusing feelings had come from: Amanda.

He screamed suddenly, like a terrible beast. Due to his ordeals, he wasn't stable. He had to be alone, because if he saw Amanda or Jessi right now, he'd probably just rip off their heads, and truly be on the road to ruin. He could almost see the monster savoring the blood.

With a single thought, he cut through both connections, to be restored when – or if – he wanted to. A single little bag in hand, he left his tub, his house, his life, behind.


	20. Chapter 20

10:02 pm

Nicole was overjoyed to have been surprised by Stephen in her hotel room. Although she'd been unable to make a successful connection from her room or her cell to the house – to check up on the kids – she had received a text from Kyle saying they were ok.

She smiled at her husband, wagging a finger at him. "Stephen, we're agreed, you're only staying tonight right?"

Sprawled on the bed, he smiled at her sheepishly and nodded.

Already having been angry with him for leaving the kids to their own devices – imagining a massive party trashing their house – the prospect of being alone for once was still enticing. It wasn't like the kids were bad to begin with. Even Jessi had made tremendous strides to smoothing out her relationships with the others.

"You'll leave right away?" She stared down at him, giving him her best responsible mother/wife look.

"Yes!" he said perhaps a little too loudly but it was true he was likely a little exasperated.

"That's settled then." She got on the bed, and smiled playfully. "Where were we?"

***

10:15 pm

Tom Foss sat at his computer, frustrated as all hell. For probably the fiftieth time that evening, he'd attempted to call, text, and e-mail Kyle via each of the elaborately planned methods he had at his disposal. Not one had worked. Somehow Latnok had neutralised all of his work, and since he had no weapon on him – why oh why had he actually left it in his coat in the SUV – his three armed guests were enough to make him stay put.

It didn't help that he knew the woman in the group. Her marksmanship was second to none; when she'd taken a shot at him, his boot had been scuffed.

The rules were simple: stay put and stay alive; leave and die.

He knew the psychological stress experiment was going on, the one he'd approved. But then, the original plans were nothing compared to what was currently going on. The fact he continued receiving reports from the higher ups at Latnok didn't ease his frustration or his anger.

Getting him to force Jessi to cut off her connection to Kyle had been easy.

Having Kyle isolated from everyone and made to believe that everyone was captured and then to be attacked by actual ninjas, well that was totally crazy. Latnok had claimed they didn't want any loss of life during the entire experiment. Supposedly that was working out perfectly, but he worried how Kyle, or more specifically Jessi, would react at the news of his involvement.

He'd trained them both after all. He should never have allowed the experiment. Racking his brains one more time for a way to avoid this from occurring again, he felt defeated. He couldn't ensure communication security, at least not on his own.

He had to come clean to Kyle and Jessi before either learned of his involvement. There was no other way to avoid their distrust, which would only enable Latnok to further poison their lives. They simply couldn't be trusted.

But he wasn't a neophyte. He'd craft a special message that either Kyle or Jessi would discover had a special meaning, and a way to decode it. Trusting their decryption skills, he went to work on pad and paper. He continued periodically sending Kyle and Jessi the simple message not to contact him from their special code, that he was compromised. Of course, he always added, "Please call right away!"

By quarter to eleven, he'd crafted an encoded message to send Kyle, but when he suddenly received an e-mail from him, he was instantly suspicious. He read the message twice, to be sure. He quickly found the code that authenticated him, though he feared Latnok may know the codes too. He dissected the message, trying to determine whether it was legitimate.

_Tom,_

_Are you ok? Are you with the others? Do you know where you are? All communication with me is being blocked by Latnok, and they claim to have everyone. This e-mail got through because of an e-mail tracer virus I created. It will make sure any reply gets back to me._

_I need your help. If you are safe, please come home right away. I'm worried they're doing experiments on Jessi and I need to know if Amanda's safe. Is either of them with you?_

_Please reply as soon as you can._

_Kyle_

He sighed, still unsure. His cell buzzed and he answered it. He knew it would be the Latnok higher ups. He only hit the talk button. They never acknowledged him anyway.

"We are satisfied with the results of the experiment and are ending it immediately. We trust we can collaborate again on future non-lethal experiments on our subjects." The line went dead as he'd expected.

"Over my dead body," he muttered. Did the end of the experiment validate Kyle's e-mail or deny it? From his experience with Latnok, he knew that most of them were honourable and kept their word, especially when plans were drawn and communicated across multiple parties. But then he'd been stabbed in the back today and was unsure if this even came from Kyle.

He decided to not trust the e-mail. Instead, the moment the agents left, he'd race there to explain himself in person. He couldn't trust any electronic communication. They'd have a lot of work ahead of them, but he knew that with Jessi and Kyle both working on the security breach, they'd have something functioning soon.

He started backing up his computers and trashing them. The warehouse, as much as it had been his home, was no longer safe.

***

"Sir, Mr. Foss is erasing his data." He was individually insignificant in the operation, but his job was simply to watch what Foss could see on his computers.

His supervisor had been nearby because of the e-mail that had gone through. Without hesitation, the man said, "Quickly, send the following message as a reply." His fingers blazed through the short dictated message. Just after he clicked send, he saw Foss close the original message.

"Success sir." He hoped for a reward, an acknowledgement, but knew better.

***

Josh woke up, bleary eyed in bed. The blinds were curiously closed and the TV was off. He must have fallen asleep. He felt beside him on the king size bed, squinting. It was nearly pitch black except for a small bright light reflected away from him. Why she was sitting so far away he couldn't even guess.

"You're awake," said a voice he recognized.

"Andy?" In his muddled state it had sounded an awful lot like Rachel.

"Sorry to disappoint, Josh." The lights turned on, intensely bright. Squinting, he determined it was her. He drew up the sheets to his neck.

"Where's Andy?" He couldn't really think of anything else to say. He was naked under the sheets; he'd been waiting for Andy. Dread filled him that Andy would find him with another girl. He looked at his watch on the night table and gasped. It was three in the morning!

Rachel looked at him squarely in the eyes. "She's not coming. If it's any consolation, she's sleeping at home. In fact, you whooped her at G-Force yesterday and e-mailed her your typical mushy stuff. Oh, and you texted her your phone wasn't working." She seemed to recite the information from memory, with little emotion.

Barely able to speak, he pointed at the curtains and the TV. He was naked under the sheets! Had she seen him?

"You sleep like a log, and I wasn't going to touch you." Relief washed over him as she got up, smoothing her blouse. Her eyes looked really tired.

His brain started to work. "Why are you here," he asked, strongly emphasizing the word you.

"To tell you you can go home." She blinked and yawned. "I felt bad too. I knew Andy wasn't coming." He started to protest, to ask more questions, but stopped when she raised her hand. "Just go home. I'm sure everything will be clear when you get there." With that she left.

He was in his car in less than ten minutes; the receptionist had said the room was paid for in full and to have a good trip. The drive home was eerie; his mind was a jumble of outrageous thoughts. He still didn't understand why Rachel would even be in his room. How she knew where Andy was and what she said they'd done together didn't seem to make sense. Especially since he'd been at the room alone all day...

When he turned into the driveway he was surprised to see most of the lights on. Then it finally clicked. He hadn't played G-Force all day with her, someone else had. He walked into the house, and was mauled by Lori and Jessi in a massive hug.

Tom Foss was in the living room sitting beside Amanda Bloom. Declan came out of Kyle's bedroom. The grave faces all around brought who was missing all too glaringly. "Where's Kyle," he asked, emerging from under Lori's grasp. He looked directly at Jessi.

"I don't know," she looked down. He saw her clenching her jaw shut and standing all rigid. She looked like she could bite someone.

Foss seemed to ignore him. "Jessi, come here; we have to figure out how this connection of yours works." He was surprised to see her turn around so quickly without a word.

Declan came up to him and gave him a hug. As he withdrew, Declan took his cell phone and threw it in the trash. Josh found it strange that all their cell phones were in there but didn't readily ask. After his strange night, he figured this could be some strange dream. He let Lori hug him again but paid attention to Jessi, Foss, and Amanda.

"I don't know how else to explain it. I removed the block when I saw your e-mail after the movie ended at 12:05 am. I felt him distinctly, extremely angry." Tears sprang to her eyes, and Amanda's were filling too. "After sixteen seconds he cut off the connection on his end, and that's when I felt the pain in my chest." She brought her hands to the base of her ribs, right in the middle.

Amanda added, to no one in particular, "When I saw her collapse, clutching her chest, I knew what happened. That happened to him two days ago." Josh saw Amanda silently pleading with Jessi for an explanation, one she'd probably voiced several times now. He remembered that story well.

Foss gruffly said, "I forced her to do it." Jessi didn't immediately respond, but nodded several seconds later. Lori was clutching both his and Declan's arms. "And we already established that I never sent you that e-mail. That was Latnok."

Josh thought to ask for a recap from the beginning but decided against it. There was no way this was a dream.

Foss's gaze seemed to burn a path to Jessi in mid air. She turned to him as he said, "He told me he could feel your emotions, even though you'd cut it off."

She shook her head, "I don't see how he could have."

Foss shouted, "I know that okay? How did you feel this morning?"

Jessi's temper flared, "Do you a specific time in mind or do you want me to re-enact all twelve hours starting at 12 am when I was kissing Declan?"

"Thanks Jessi," Declan muttered and turned around.

With a growl Foss said, "Let's say at nine." He took a deep breath, lowered his tone, "How were you feeling then?"

"I was having a great day until 10:32 when Amanda punched me." Josh had assumed there'd be animosity between them – as always – but was surprised when Amanda blushed and Jessi smiled a little.

Foss didn't relent. "What about noon?"

"I went out for a run, I was confused about Amanda's and Declan's behaviour."

"You weren't angry," Foss asked, somewhat surprised. He wasn't the only one.

She shook her head, "Maybe a little, but I objectively analyzed their motivations and mine and felt they were behaving pretty rationally.

Foss's eyes brightened momentarily. "You tried it? How did it go?"

"It's really useful." She barely paused, "About Kyle?"

Josh didn't really understand what Foss and Jessi were talking about but he saw the shadow return to his eyes. "Kyle mentioned he felt terrible anger coming from you all morning long. It was like an emptiness."

Josh's eyes turned to Amanda, who noticed him looking at her. "Me?" Her jaw dropped as she thought about it.

Jessi and Foss both turned to Amanda. "You," they questioned in unison.

Foss interrogated Amanda, "How were you feeling at six last morning?"

It didn't take her long to respond, but a wide smile appeared on her lips. It made a stark contrast to the tears that were still in her eyes. "I could barely sleep with how happy I was. Kyle left me some gifts that showed me exactly how much he loved me." Josh could see how tired Amanda looked.

Josh interpreted, "You were on cloud nine." Jessi agreed with him. Turning to Jessi, "When did you wake up Jessi?"

"Quarter after eight," she replied without hesitation. "She saw me sleeping there some time before that."

Foss's voice took on a sombre quality, "Amanda," he started.

Amanda may have been tired, but she followed the conversation. "I saw her at around 6:30, maybe 6:45?"

In a quiet voice he finished, "And of course you were in a jealous rage." He shook his head. "Amanda, somehow Kyle can feel your emotions. We assumed it was his connection to Jessi he was feeling but there's no other answer: it was you."

Lori spoke up, "How will this help us find him?" Turning to Amanda, "Can you feel where he is or how he's feeling?" After a small pause, she added, "Like Jessi?"

She shook her head, "I don't think I ever could." She hid a great yawn behind her hand. She sounded like she didn't believe it but said, "Maybe if I was really close to him, maybe his sense of smell makes him react more to me and I subconsciously pick it up and respond more to him..."

Declan pounced on her description, "Like a loop!"

Jessi gasped, "Which explains why his feelings were so strong, stronger than ever before!" Foss cleared his throat, and glanced at Jessi. "Yes, that too," she said, causing Foss to turn away.

Amanda's head was down so low she could have been staring at her shoes. "I was feeling very strange all day, at one extreme or the other, with little explanation except for Jessi being in the tub. It would make sense; maybe he felt my emotions which made his emotions more volatile, eventually bringing us both next to insanity." She said the last words very slowly. "I don't feel like that anymore. Am I really cut off or is he just too far?" Jessi shrugged.

Declan had another idea, "What if Kyle received a fake e-mail from Foss too?" Before anyone else, Jessi was up and down the hall in seconds. Amanda cracked another huge yawn. Declan, being the gentleman, offered to walk her to her house. Josh and Lori both accompanied them. Yes, she was their next door neighbour, but they couldn't leave anyone completely alone. Because her mother had left her a message on the home phone that she was going to be gone for the next two days on a business trip, Amanda grabbed some clothes and a few amenities before hurrying back to the Tragers' house. Josh insisted they stay together, and everyone agreed.

Lori stopped halfway in the house, "Hillary kept us all together."

Declan added, "For a lot longer than originally planned."

Lori turned to him, "Where were you Josh?"

What had previously eluded him fell easily into place. "Lured by Latnok to stay in a fancy hotel room to wait for Andy who wasn't in on the Latnok plan." He skipped directly to his next point. "Rachel is working for Latnok, I'm sure of it!" He felt anger at her for messing with him, potentially with them all. He was also angry at himself; he might have helped out, or something. Instead he's slept.

Foss emerged from Kyle's room. A rare smile was on his lips, "Jessi's in Kyle's computer! They sent him a fake e-mail all right, with a lot more information that I ever would have given." His smile disappeared completely, and his eyes landed on Amanda like a bird of prey. "They've made you into a scapegoat."

Beside him, Amanda swallowed hard. They all headed to Kyle's room.


	21. Chapter 21

"Stephen's home," Jessi announced loudly. Other than her, Foss, and Josh, everyone was sleeping soundly. Amanda was the most pathetic by having appropriated the tub as her own. Declan was on one side of the tub in a sleeping bag, and Lori had brought her comforters from her bed and looked funny sprawled out, her limbs sticking out of the sheets.

When none of them moved, Josh got up and said, "I'll break the news to him."

Sitting to Jessi's right, nursing a strong black coffee, Foss said, "We'll have to be ready to move the second he restores the connection; he might only do it as a last resort."

She shrugged, "If he does at all. That e-mail may have been written sensibly but for them to suggest Amanda's plan involved any of this," referring to the isolation they'd just been talking about, "it's like saying grass is normally purple or the sun is blue."

Foss's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure you don't need to sleep?" She shrugged him off; she was willing and able to go without sleep for weeks if necessary. They heard Stephen shouting and running down the hall toward them.

He burst in the door, causing Lori and Declan to wake up with a start. Having slept only about six out of the last 72 hours, Amanda slept right through. Although he'd clearly been prepared to yell, he instantly changed to a loud whisper. "Kyle's gone?" His eyes flew from one person to the next, finally resting on Jessi, "You can't tell where he is? Don't feel him?"

Josh came in behind his father, answering for all of them, "She hasn't felt him since 12:05 am, and that was only for sixteen seconds," he said, consulting a small notepad.

Foss interrupted any further questions, "Lori, if you're up to it, we need you to get Hillary over here by whatever means possible."

Her eyes were glassy and really puffy but she stood up. She'd clearly slept in her clothes; Stephen had a look of shock on his face. He recovered, "Can I help?"

Lori looked at her dad and said, "You can drive me. I don't think I'll be awake for hours." She cracked a huge yawn. He followed her without question.

Declan stretched then stood up quickly. "I want to come too; gotta make sure she doesn't try to run." He stumbled out of the room and ran down the hall.

Josh rubbed his stomach, "Anyone hungry? I'll make waffles." When both Foss and Jessi agreed, he left them alone.

Jessi was on the verge of tears, but she stayed strong, for Kyle, and for herself. Foss softened somewhat and put a hand on her arm. "When, not if, when he reconnects with you, he might be in danger. I'll need you to focus on his location and determine if he's moving. It might be the only way to get to him before they do."

"Get your SUV ready for a long trip then, just in case he's going cross country."

"You don't think he'll stay close," asked Foss.

She looked at him sadly, "I can't see why he'd go too far away, but if they get him, he might be going anywhere." He got up and left without a word. She turned back to Kyle's computer, scouring it for clues while also reading local, state, and national news stories. Before the end of the day, if she found anything that might indicate him they'd try to check up on it.

It was good to be able to multitask. She really liked his e-mail tracer program but patched up the hole allowing a remote user of the receiving computer to send a reply. A reply made by a remote user would just disappear, get deleted in transit by the tracer and refuse all attempts to being closed by the remote user. It would hide until either the mouse or the keyboard was touched.

She pored over reports of a growing forest fire to the north of Seattle, of robberies, of murders, of any unexplained activity. A tear escaped and splashed on her hand. There wasn't much at all and the pain in her heart was still intense. When she'd broken the connection, it had been a relief. She found that receiving the break created a backlash effect which left special nerve endings raw and irritated. She could sense the nerve endings and tried again to massage them, only to grate against them, sending jolts of pain running through her. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from gasping out loud.

She'd found those same nerve endings in her family, and in Foss and Amanda, but in all cases they were poorly developed. It meant however that Kyle indeed had made a connection with Amanda, one that would quite possibly loop over itself and intensify whatever she was feeling. It seemed to be a dangerous connection because their nervous systems were so much more enhanced, and because the feelings he'd feel were unfiltered and prone to compounding, anger would be terrible, feelings of love and lust would be… She could feel her heart beginning to race and her skin heating. Yep, she thought as she turned to Amanda's sleeping form. She had another goal in mind, one that would help Kyle when he returned. She intentionally ignored the word if.

By focusing on Amanda and not Declan, she wouldn't have Kyle's problem with lust. She tried and tried to make that same connection, growing frustrated at the lack of progress. She would wait until Amanda woke. Maybe they had to share a bond for it to work.

She could think of one thing they shared. That should be enough.

***

She'd been rudely awakened early that morning by her phone vibrating, with a cryptic message that she had a delivery in her mail box. Not one to ignore such deliveries, she'd stumbled to the front door, looked out the small window for any signs of life, and opened the door to a foggy morning, the sun having barely managed to pass over the horizon. When she discovered what the delivery was – a gift card that she could use anywhere credit cards were accepted – her hands had begun tingling with anticipation of a grand shopping spree.

Hillary had spent over four hours browsing websites since then and was making sure she looked fabulous before heading out when the doorbell rang. She ignored it for only a moment, making sure her lips and hair were perfect, and adding a bracelet and necklace to her ensemble. There, she thought to herself, I am fabulous!

The doorbell rang a second and third time before she got to the door and opened it with a pout. She didn't enjoy feeling rushed. She was surprised when Lori and Declan were at the door. She had to think quickly as they didn't appear particularly amused.

"What's wrong Lori," she asked with an image of concern. Lori was always such a drama queen, this could be nothing after all, she thought.

"We need your expertise. The Kylanda is sinking again, and we fear you're the only one who can keep it afloat." Lori was blinking more often than usual, and looked awfully tired.

"What is it this time? I thought Jessi was with you muffin?" She turned her gaze to him, noticing he was equally tired. Didn't these friends of hers know that sleep was required to look fabulous, aside from numerous other health benefits?

Declan moved forward but Lori put her hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He'd had an intense look about him just then but it cleared as quickly as it had come. Lori said, "It's Amanda, she's gone totally nuts! She started punching Josh out of nowhere and, and," she burst in tears, "we couldn't control her so we tied her up!"

Hillary couldn't believe what she was hearing, but Amanda had behaved very strangely throughout much of the afternoon until Jessi gave her a big hug. Clearly whatever good that had done had only been temporary. Lori literally pleaded with her, "Please Hils, you got to help us!"

"Where's Kyle? Or Jessi for that matter," she asked as she locked her front door. Her shopping spree could wait for her good friends.

Declan said, "Oh, they run in the mornings; they're usually back only by lunch."

Lori added, "We don't want Kyle to see what Amanda's done. She broke into the house in the middle of the night and attacked Josh who was in the kitchen at the time."

Hillary stopped, confused as to the details of the story, when her cell buzzed. She was about to open it when Declan swiped it from her, keeping it closed. He said, "Hillary, we don't have any time! We need to get you over there."

Hillary moved toward Declan who'd started walking quickly to the car, which she saw was being driven by Mr. Trager. She didn't want to draw undue attention to the sophisticated phone but sorely needed it back. It had features that no phone on the market had, or even would have for likely years. She almost jogged with heels on. "Let's go then!" Getting into the back seat with Declan, she said, "Hey Declan, give me my cell, please?"

She saw Lori jump into the front seat and Mr. Trager start driving more aggressively than ever before. It raised her suspicions, especially since Declan playfully said, "You'll have to try harder to get your cell Hillary."

"Hils," Lori said without looking back, "Declan wants you to wrestle him for your phone. He did that with me and Jessi this morning. I don't know what's gotten into him!" She giggled.

Since the Tragers lived so close to her house, Hillary didn't have much time to ponder the strange sequence of events. When Mr. Trager pulled into the driveway, braking hard, she found herself plastered to the back of Lori's seat because she hadn't worn her seatbelt; she'd been trying to get her phone back. At least Declan hadn't opened it. He quickly ran into the house, laughing madly. First Amanda had gone crazy and now Declan seemed to be! She ran after him.

Declan had left the door wide open and she spotted him running down the hall towards Kyle's bedroom, where she'd never been but knew because she'd been friends with Lori since they were six. She started getting frustrated at Declan's odd behavior and started running in earnest in the hallway when suddenly she was tackled by someone. She slammed against the wall and crumpled there, dazed. It took her moments to notice Jessi tying her up with solid rope. Declan returned with her phone open, his eyes eagerly going over every message on her phone.

Lori closed the front door and locked it, fists on her hips. Dread filled Hillary. They knew about her involvement in keeping them away from home for as long as possible yesterday. She looked around, thinking maybe there would have been a robbery of some kind. Maybe she could feign involvement, speak ill about her employers. She felt horrible, knowing that whatever was gone was extremely important to her friends. The worst was that she'd never been advised of the threat by her employers, so now she was alone against them.

***

Jessi finished tying up Hillary, who surprisingly didn't seem to be too banged up after being run into the wall. She looked up to Declan who was scanning messages on Hillary's phone. His smile turned to a frown.

She felt their chance slipping away. She knew the messages were getting deleted faster than he could read them. "Throw me the phone!" she yelled. Without thinking he did so, throwing it like a clunky basketball. She caught it and scanned the message queue as message after message was being deleted.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she read the messages faster than they were being deleted. In less than a minute the phone was inoperable, its circuits fried by a pulse sent surely by Latnok itself.

She handed the phone back to Hillary, gritting her teeth. "Here, your piece of junk."

Lori looked at her with desperation, "Was she?"

Jessi exhaled noisily through her nose and paced. "Involved?" She shot a mirthless laugh. "She was knee deep!" She turned to Hillary and placed her on her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Hillary whined and pleaded, telling lies the entire time. "Don't listen to her!" Jessi yelled above Hillary's pitiful cries.

She carried Hillary to Kyle's room, and unceremoniously dumped her onto Declan's sleeping bag. The others filed in after her whereas Stephen had left for the Rack in the hopes that Rachel had appeared for her shift. They all knew it was highly unlikely.

At least they had one smelly fish. The fish's heart was beating rapidly and she was crying heavily. She saw Amanda sleeping in Kyle's tub and wailed harder. Amanda didn't even stir. It helped that she'd put in swimmers' ear plugs, but no one but Jessi knew that. "What did you do to her?"

Jessi felt little remorse, and anger was flowing through her like she'd rarely felt before. "I knocked her over the head until she fell into a peaceful coma," she said sweetly. Then a little somberly, "Maybe I went a little too far, she's got a lot of internal bleeding in her brain."

Declan added, "She'll probably die."

Hillary's shock was evident. Her eyes were crazed, moving from one to another. There would be no assistance from anyone in this room, even Amanda. In her shock, it was clear she didn't notice Amanda was clearly breathing.

Lori started, "Why did you do it?"

Hillary strained against the ropes, refusing to speak, until Declan made a clear motion of whacking her head against the tub. "They pay really well, ok," she whined.

Lori's jaw fell, as did the others. Jessi, on the other hand, had expected as much. "Money. How much did you get this morning for yesterday's work?"

Tears appeared in Hillary's eyes, and she straightened, "Five thousand dollars."

Josh whistled while Lori and Declan glanced at each other. If Foss were here he'd be beating her over the head already. She smiled at her, showing all her teeth, not caring how crazy she looked. She could only hope she'd look half as menacing as the crazed undead serial killer she'd seen in last night's first movie. She spoke softly, "Why do you think you were picked, what, a week ago?"

Confusion was clear in her face. Hillary said, "I've been working for them for years. They recruited me for my intelligence."

Jessie might have assumed incorrectly, but she was quick to change her plans. Jessi paused to allow the others' nearly simultaneous scoffs to shake Hillary's defenses. Perhaps it had been a mistake, because Hillary took pride in that she'd fooled them all with her disguise. "You're heavily involved, but you know next to nothing," Jessie accused. She took a step forward, "They don't trust you with knowing!"

Lori regained her composure. She yelled, "If you knew what I do, Hillary, they'd probably kill you themselves faster than you could call the tabloids!"

Hillary's face blanched, as she finally realized who was missing in the room. "This is about Kyle?"

"Bravo!" Lori clapped, dripping venom with a fake smile of her own.

It was absolutely clear she didn't know. If she learned of it all, maybe she'd assist them for a few hours, maybe even days, but maybe Latnok would rub her out too. If they were still keeping tabs on them somehow, listening in, they wouldn't have long, but would it be economical to tell her everything? How likely was it she even knew anything of value?

In the few seconds that passed, she decided Hillary's knowledge wasn't valuable. She said out loud, "We can't tell her anything because she doesn't know anything of value." There were no objections.

Amanda moaned and turned to her side, whispering a single name, a smile on her face.

"She's not injured," Hillary asked incredulously.

"She's sleeping," Josh muttered.

But Declan stepped forward and said, "The people you work for are ruthless. They tried to take Kyle away by force." Jessi was happy he didn't mention ninjas. She didn't want Hillary to think they were pulling her leg, because they definitely weren't.

Jessi said the only answer that could be said if they were being listened to, "He's gone into hiding. He doesn't want to endanger us so he's run away."

"Why?" Hillary seemed utterly lost, as she knew she'd be.

"If we told you, they'd probably kill you," Jessi whispered.

Hillary seemed to reflect on her words because she was quiet for a time. She didn't struggle and neither did she cry. The anger in the room started to dissipate, the fire that had been directed at Hillary quieted. In this game of chess, she was barely even considered a pawn.

***

Now three days later, Jessi reflected on how Hillary had sung. Every single tidbit of news or hearsay or command from on high that she remembered she'd said. Her tongue had been liberated when she noticed we didn't have any recording devices and weren't taking any notes.

Of course, she didn't know about me, although she knew I was different, that I could jump off the roof of the school without getting injured for example, and that Kyle was different too.

She'd said we were aliens. The sad truth was that she believed it, much like Josh apparently had believed when Kyle had first come to live with their family. She'd only come a year later but she considered them her family too.

It was easier for people to believe them aliens from another world than believe they were humans too, only kept in pods for sixteen years, gestating. She could see a lot of abuse happen if more people like them were made. The sad fact was that it was entirely probable there were already others after them who were still in their pods, elsewhere in the world.

Latnok was so vast, one hand, one arm didn't know what one finger did, much less the leg or the head.

***

Tom lay in bed, agonizing over the mistakes he'd done. He had thought their security tight, certainly not fool proof, but tight nonetheless. He'd trained Kyle in purely physical aspects when he should have trained him in psychology and sociology like Jessi. In the eight days following Kyle's disappearance, Jessi was the most composed and determined person in the entire group, much less the family. He kept wondering if similar training would have helped him.

Not surprisingly Hillary was no longer friends with Lori, and had also been removed from Latnok. No more gift cards. It was a very small consolation when he'd learned she now owed them money, because the gift cards had been deemed an advance. He smiled when she'd applied at the Rack and he'd planted a criminal record on her background check.

Going forward all new employees at any family member's place of work was going to be severely scrutinized. He was going to try every dirty trick to sniff out future Latnok plants.

He, Jessi, and Stephen had worked on designing their own solar powered cell phones that wouldn't use the standard cell phone tower network. They used Kyle's room as the workshop. These behaved a lot more like walkie talkies but also modulated their frequencies randomly. They didn't have a working prototype quite yet but they were certainly close. It was hard to get some of the miniature parts required without attracting undue attention.

Speaking of which, Jessi had determined the entire house to be completely bug free. It meant Latnok had used military satellites to track Kyle and used electronic devices to listen in to conversations as he'd suspected. They'd used primarily cell phones and computers to achieve it. Another project over the next several days would be to shield the house from such eavesdropping. It would certainly take a while and would cost a lot of money. He figured he could probably get access to some of Adam Baylin's estate for the renovations.

However, he knew that the Tragers didn't really like the idea of being holed in their house for the next several years and he couldn't blame them. They had lives; they were young.

Every day they'd pored over endless news stories, maps, ideas, and even far flung theories about where Kyle might have gone. Stephen and Nicole had both driven for hours around Seattle and neighboring towns, looking for any sign of him.

As a unit, they no longer held much hope unless he reconnected with Jessi.

There was one star however, one unforeseen bit that made his day. Jessi had told him about it that morning.

***

As Jessi fell asleep, she allowed herself a single tear for Kyle, and shared temporarily the loneliness and love for her pod mate that Amanda felt deep in her heart. It wasn't a particularly strong connection by any means, but this morning they'd finally made the connection and she'd already devised a way to prevent it from looping and magnifying feelings, keeping them constant.

She no longer envied Amanda for having had Kyle's affection, his love. She knew how deep that love went in Amanda and it was not a simple river. She also vividly remembered Kyle's feelings for Amanda. They were such a good match; she was determined to fight for their relationship to continue.

As long as Kyle came home of course. She banished that thought almost immediately.

Once she learned she was dreaming, a broad smile overwhelmed her face. It would probably look funny if someone were to see her sleeping, but there was no fear of that. Because she'd really enjoyed the romantic comedy they'd watched second that fateful night, she revisited the movie in its entirety in her dream, snuggling with Declan as they watched.

She admitted she especially had enjoyed two movies' worth of uninterrupted closeness with her boyfriend. She made sure though to cut the dream at 12:04 am, just before she'd received a certain faked e-mail. She had to get quality rest after all. The happiest dreams were always best for that.


	22. Chapter 22

AN For loyal readers of my story, there's a little gift for you in this final chapter: it's a 2 for 1 special. If you read to the end, you'll see what I mean.

Lori was sitting in the car with her mom, looking for any sign of him. Today they drove to the north, towards Canada where it was reported that a fierce forest fire was suddenly under control despite unfavorable weather conditions. Her dad had gone instead to San Francisco, where thanks to an earthquake, the mayor had declared an emergency. It hadn't been a terrible earthquake, but some old buildings had still collapsed and bridges were damaged.

She didn't personally hold much hope of Kyle ever being found, considering it was now over a month since he'd left. Thirty-six days she thought wryly. Just thinking of it, a tear rolled down her cheek. With college having started two weeks ago and with her parents no longer able to take time off to look for Kyle other than evenings and weekend, it really didn't look good.

She knew Jessi and Foss wouldn't give up.

***

Not for the first time, Tom wondered if creating an intentional disaster near the Trager home, perhaps by derailing a train full of toxic chemicals or setting a building on fire, would root him out. He was starting to lose hope.

Hope was one thing, but quitting wasn't in his vocabulary.

***

Josh took the money from the cute girl, somewhat distracted.

He shook his head when he realized belatedly she'd flirted with him. He'd thought of Kyle when she ordered the strawberry kiwi smoothie. The only times he had fun nowadays was when he played G-Force or talked to Andy.

He frowned further when he thought of her. She was taking Kyle's ongoing disappearance really hard. They all were.

***

Jessi returned from running around town all day, literally. She'd checked all the homeless shelters, and the food banks – not that she'd really thought he couldn't find food or money of his own.

She muttered to herself as hot water cascaded down her body. She would have marveled at her new muscles if Kyle and her search for him didn't take her entire attention.

Jessi ignored her college classes for now, knowing she could do the work in a tenth of the time at least. Foss conferred with her stranger and stranger ideas for getting Kyle to come back. She didn't know why Foss hadn't agreed with her best idea of nationally broadcasting Amanda's rendition of their song on the radio and television simultaneously. The cost didn't matter to her; she'd get the money herself.

She only had $3,944 in her drawer at the present. While it had only taken her five days to get that money, she clearly saw how many more days it would take to get the rest.

Feeling tense, she decided she'd pay her boyfriend a visit.

***

Declan received a text from Jessi saying she was coming over. Looking frantically at the mess around him and knowing how quickly she'd likely get here, he felt desperate. He didn't want her to know that he was trying to build an ultrasonic emitter that he hoped would tell Kyle he was loved.

He'd sent away for the equipment weeks ago and had only received it today but was having no luck putting it together. He felt so dim around Jessi – or Kyle for that matter – but at least he accepted that Jessi loved him.

She always showed her strong side to him, but he knew she had some softness in there. He could tell when he looked in her eyes before they kissed. She was beautiful, extremely smart, and vibrant. He allowed a dirty minded little smile to appear on his face. He was certainly willing to take it slow with her. Besides it wasn't like she couldn't manhandle him.

Maybe, just maybe he'd try to get her to the next step. He only hoped she didn't break him in two for suggesting it too soon. Kyle was on all their minds after all.

***

Her mother had left five minutes ago, berating her again for "playing for him." It angered her that her mother considered Kyle a worthless lout, that he'd run away to do nefarious deeds, or to escape some trouble he'd gotten into. She sighed, bringing her fingers gently to the ivory keys of the piano Kyle had refurbished after hers had been sold to pay off family debts.

Wishing she could tell her mother everything about Kyle but knowing she couldn't, she instead regularly saw her pastor. He counseled her to pray, to hope, to let her prayers and her soul to call him back to her. She did so fervently every day, often to the detriment of the relationship with her mother. Her chores were rushed, dishes put away hurriedly, occasionally with a dirty spot. Her bed was rarely made.

She poured herself into her music, calling to him with her heart, her soul, silently praying as she did so. She'd recently found the patron saint of missing people and another for lost souls. The melody rang in sync with her heart, and she struck the keys with both passion and frustration. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as they always did when she played now. Her music surged and ebbed, at once soft and tranquil, at another a tempest of notes and emotion.

Music fell from her over ninety minutes, a message of love she'd wrought for Kyle as she never could with words alone. She sighed as she caressed the keys and did a prayer of thanks. The tears had never come today, never fell onto the keys as she'd expected. They'd been ready but had decided not to jump out. She shook her head at the strange idea. Feeling oddly calm, she got up and turned around.

Her eyes blinked, once, twice. He didn't disappear.

He was home.

Tears had fallen down his cheeks, his clothes were neat and clean. His eyes, they reflected her roiling emotions. She stood rooted to the spot, could only stare into his deep blue eyes. The tears that had stayed while she'd played her music for her love, for Kyle, fell now freely for him.

He took a step toward her. "Amanda," he started, fresh tears appearing in his eyes. "I'm so sorry for leaving, but I had to for everyone's safety." He took a deep breath, seemed to fill himself with her smell. Taking another step toward her, he extended his hands to her. "Your pheromones have told me more than words ever could. Your music, it filled my empty heart."

They embraced. She found her voice, despite the tears of joy streaming down, "Where were you?"

"At first I helped some homeless people in the north end, gave them money, food. I ran a lot," he said sheepishly. "I was very angry, at you, at everyone. I was never very far, well, except for last week when I saved a dozen homes from the forest fire north of Seattle."

His eyes fell to his feet. "I couldn't save everyone, and I saw one firefighter lose their life and I couldn't save him. His legs were crushed by a fallen tree and I knew he was dying. He pleaded with me to tell his ex wife that he loved her and gave me her address in Pheonix. With his dying breath, he told me he regretted leaving her, despite their differences, their financial troubles.

"When I met his ex wife, with only the mention of his name, she knew he was gone. She wept on my shoulder, and I met their three grown children." He stopped, seeming to relive the event. Bringing his eyes back to hers, he continued, "I stayed with them for a few days, telling them how Paul had helped to keep the forest fire from reaching Seattle, describing his small apartment with the many pictures he had in an album he'd brought with him when they'd separated."

"Being with them made me realize that even if you had tried to corrupt me," he paused slightly, sniffing, and undoubtedly listening to her heart, "that I could forgive you your misguided plan."

She said, clutching his hands, "Kyle, I wanted to tell you everything, I called it off."

He raised his hands to her lips, "I realize now Latnok did it all of their own accord."

She kissed his hand – it was so warm – and added, "My plan was juvenile compared to theirs. I wanted you to myself, to share you with no one."

He released her left hand and put his into his pocket. "I've grown a lot this past month. You're my soul mate, Amanda. You complete me." He pulled out a small ring. "I'm giving you this promise ring; even when we're apart – you at the Conservatory for example, me at Harvard – you'll always be with me."

The tears that had been flowing stopped suddenly from both of them.

"Will you marry me?" He opened his mouth and she put a hand to it to prevent him from saying any more. She didn't need a timeline.

"Yes," she whispered, a broad smile appearing not only on her face, but in her heart, her soul.

He was a mirror image. In perfect sync, they said, "I love you!"

THE END

ALTERNATE ENDING

"Will you marry me," he asked, knowing she'd say yes when she brought her hand to his lips.

"I'd love to..."

His certainty faltered; a crack appeared in his wall. "But," he said, feeling the crack widening.

She looked into his eyes, "You need to talk with Jessi first." At first he believed jealousy was the cause, but he sensed another connection in Amanda's heart. He soon realized where it went and smiled broadly.

"Okay." He turned and went out the door, dropping the ring on the ground.

***

Tom went restlessly back to his computer. He clicked on a front page story in the main Phoenix online newspaper. A woman in her forties and her kids were brutally murdered. The scene was so grisly in fact that the story didn't go into any detail. It took him some wrangling to get to the internal Phoenix police reports, but what he saw there froze him.

The victims' entrails had been sewn together and hung from the ceiling of their home into a gruesome message: 781227.

He checked his gun in its holster, and sat up straight. He ran down to the hotel parking lot and started his SUV, and drove the gas pedal to the ground. Kyle had gone mad, and was announcing that fact to Latnok – and to him.

Somehow he'd located Brian Taylor's younger sister in Phoenix. She wasn't in Latnok, but her ex husband had surely been. The organization worked very heavily in families. He drove into the Trager's driveway. Putting the vehicle into park, he suddenly had a massive pain in his heart. His left arm had gone totally numb.

The last thing he saw was Kyle, smiling at him.


End file.
